The Gamer: Hero Academia Edition
by Helmeppun
Summary: It turns out Izuku is just a really late bloomer with a quirk that turns his life into a game. How will he and those around him change as he fights for his dream with his own quirk? Gamer! AU. I'll try to keep Deku not OP, but I can't promise anything.
1. Late Blooming

**Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia or The Gamer. If I did, you wouldn't find me writing fanfic about my own creation, now wouldja?**

 **(AN): So, this is it. I played with this idea for a few weeks and after 2 consecutive days of writing, this first chapter came out. To be honest 'a few weeks' is an exaggeration. I mostly procrastinated, and when I decided to do something, the first thing I did wasn't even the concept, but the formulas I'd use for the game.**

 **Enough of my rambling. This is a My Hero Academia fic that puts The Gamer Ability on the protagonist, Midoriya Izuku, in the form of a quirk. He gains it some months before the prologue and I'll explain why at the end.**

* * *

It was another day in the city of Musutafu, Japan, and a lazy Sunday morning for one Midoriya Izuku, who was happily sleeping after pulling an all-nighter. The reason for this all-nighter was a school project that he was rushing due to lack of manpower.

In truth, he was doing it all alone because none of his classmates actually let him into their groups. After all, who would want to be partners with the quirkless kid?

The alarm ringed for the third time in the day. His hand smacked the button, stopping the obnoxious noise. The young man groaned and looked at the time.

 _9:52 AM_

He pushed his blanket away. In a quick mental debate of More Sleep vs. Breakfast, the latter won, meaning it was time to get up. Rubbing his eyes, he expected to open them and see the familiar layout of his hero merch-filled room, but instead he was greeted by a giant blue screen filled with white letters.

 **Congratulations! You, Midoriya Izuku-kun, have unlocked your [Gamer] quirk! I know it's a bit late, but your current timeline wasn't ready for all the content, so it took much longer than it had to. I'm terribly sorry, and for all of the trouble your lack of quirk has brought you, I decided to include some Expansion Packs in your game as a bonus.**

 **Have fun.**

 **PS: The extra content will only be available at LV.10 in order to bring a challenging experience. It wouldn't be fun if you just started overpowered, now would it? Of course, if you're a not comfortable with this, you can change anything at the [Settings] menu.**

 **{CLOSE}**

"..." He stared at the screen not unlike someone who had lost that last bit of sanity. The weirdest part was that Izuku wasn't even fazed. Not even a twitch of his brow. This of course, confused him. Everyone that spent more than a minute with the green haired boy knew that he was 60% nervous mess, 30% hero fanboy, and 10% normal teenager. Even himself knew of his skittish nature.

If he wasn't busy being shocked, perhaps he would've noticed the other message that said 'Gamer's Mind Activated'. But he didn't, and stayed confused.

Taking advantage of his calm state, he did one of the only things he was good at: analyzing the situation.

Could it really be a quirk? The other possibilities were: A dream/figment of his imagination, someone using a quirk on him, or schizophrenia. A quick pinch that left his skin red proved the dream theory wrong and schizophrenia was removed from the possibilities.

But it couldn't be an outsider's quirk. Quirks that could manipulate light like that were extremely rare and required proximity. Illusion quirks weren't as rare, but required some sort of trigger, like eye contact or physical touch. Plus, if there was a illusion quirk user powerful like that, they wouldn't go after a random kid.

He brainstormed more possibilities, muttering alone in his bed, and compared to most of them, the idea of a late bloomed quirk seemed the most credible.

To confirm his suspicions, he extended his hand and poked the message with a finger. The digit met resistance and he nodded.

 _'This is real'_ he thought. It took a second of two for the situation register in his brain, but after that he jumped out of the bed screaming, releasing the Midoriya family waterworks right after. But those tears, they weren't filled with the usual sadness and frustration.

Those were tears of joy.

A quirk. An actual, honest-to-god, totally not-a-dream quirk. God, how many times he had wished for one. Memories of a 6 year old Izuku flashed within his mind. The poor green haired boy was trying desperately to unlock any of his parents' quirks, to no avail. His mind went further back, to the empty face of 5 year old Izuku going back from the doctor's visit that changed his whole life.

But that was no more. Now he actually had a quirk. It didn't even matter if it wasn't light manipulation. Whatever the hell his quirk was, he'd make it work. He didn't know how much time he spent crying and laughing at the same time, staring at the screen in awe. But suddenly, he stopped his fanfare and looked at the screen with a more intense look. His green eyes shone against the light that was coming from the windows.

With a quirk... _He could be a Hero!_

"Ha...Hahahahaha!" He laughed even louder than before, his smile stretching beyond normal. With a quirk he'd be able to get into U.A!

It took some time to calm down his excitement, but when he did he steeled himself and touched the 'Close' option. The screen disappeared in a blink, revealing the main menu.

 **[The Gamer]: My Hero Edition v2.6**

 **Stats**

 **Skills**

 **Equipment**

 **Inventory**

 **Quests**

 **Social Links**

 **Settings**

 **Load Game**

 **Expansions**

 **Help**

While he was curious about how all of this worked, he didn't want to mess anything up. Quirks _were_ part of your body after all. Izuku selected the Help option.

 **Do you want to start the tutorial?**

 **{Y/N}**

He frowned and touched the 'Yes' option. This was already a problem. If he had to keep touching a screen to use his own quirk, there was going to be a lot of time wasted. He hoped there was an alternative to this.

 **Welcome to [The Gamer]: My Hero Edition! This simple but long tutorial will tell you everything you need to know in order to use your quirk. First off, the basics.**

 **[The Gamer] is an ability given to a select few that turns your life into a video game! The 1.0 version is a standard cardboard copy of a RPG, but later versions ingrained other genres' mechanics to spice things up.**

 **There are various ways to interact with [The Gamer]'s interface. Which one is to your liking?**

 **{Touch-Screen Mode}**

 **{Voice Command Mode}**

 **{Mental Command Mode}**

 **{All of the above}**

Selecting the last option, Izuku wondered if his quirk took input from himself. Maybe some sort of subconscious control?

 **Continuing the explanation, [The Gamer] turns things into a game through use of calculations using codes created by [The Developer]. Example: Right now your Health Points(HP) and Mana Points(MP) are full because you slept in a bed. Go to the {Stats} Menu to continue the tutorial.**

So there _was_ mana. Izuku wondered how it worked, It's not like magic existed or anything.

Testing out the mental commands, Izuku willed the 'Stats' page to appear. In a blink of an eye, the blue screen filled with text gave place to another. In this one, There was a 2D model of him wearing his pajamas, with two bars on top of his head and more text under his feet.

He walked to his wardrobe and pulled some clothes to replace his pajamas. After disrobing, the 2D image flashed to show a naked model. The model changed again after he put his casual attire. He decided to read the whole page.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Izuku Midoriya**

 **[Title]: The Gamer [Level]: 1(0.00%)**

 **[Race]: Human [Money]: 4000 yen**

 **STR: 19**

 **DEX: 26**

 **VIT: 33(+30%)**

 **WIS: 27**

 **INT: 32**

 **CHA: 31(+5)**

 **LCK: 5**

 **Stat Points: 0**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 220/153 MP: 128/128**

 **[Refreshed]: You had a good night's sleep. Your body and mind are ready for a brand new day. +10% Experience(Xp) gains, +30% VIT, +10% CHA. Lasts for 5 hours.**

Before he could read all of it though, the tutorial popped up in front the original page.

 **This is your [Stats] page. It shows your current stats and body [Condition]. In case you want more detailed information, use your commands in the desired target.**

 **The name on the top shows your [Alias], which is the name you go by publicly. Your [True Name] is pretty self-explanatory.**

 **Your [Title] is another way to call yourself, but officially. Different titles give you various special bonuses.**

 **Your Level(Lv.) shows your experience. This determines if you can enter missions or gain better rewards.**

 **Your [Race] is also pretty self explanatory. And do you really need me to explain what [Money] is?**

Izuku snorted at that.

 **You have 7 base stats that determine most of the game's numbers. Each time you level up, you gain 10 stat points. Stat points can also be acquired through continuous activity, like working out for STR and studying for INT. now the explanation.**

 **STRength(19): Can't be a hero with these noodle arms! The more you increase this stat, the stronger you will become, raising physical damage and intimidation factor.**

 **DEXterity(26): I bet you have that above average from running away from bullies. This raises your speed, agility and motor coordination.**

 **VITality(26): This gives you extra HP, stamina and endurance. Believe or not, there** _ **is**_ **a difference.**

 **WISdom(27): the internal filter that enables you to select and focus on the problems that maximize your intelligence. Raises the efficiency of your support magic and MP regeneration.**

 **INTelligence(32): I see that nerdiness is paying off! This is the strategic combination of your experience, knowledge, innate and acquired abilities to solve problems. It also amplifies your magic damage and MP.**

So Magic _did_ exist within this game. It… wasn't very surprising. The game itself mentioned it was a based on a RPG, after all.

 **CHArisma(26): Even a nervous wreck like you can have charm, huh? This raises your chances of convincing people, and makes popular with the ladies,** _ **if you know what I mean.**_

 **LUCK(5): I guess someone whose quirk manifested at 14 must be pretty unlucky. A lucky individual makes the laws of causality bend over a table and fucks them in the ass! Random events happen so much that at some point they will be considered routine. Oh, and it also makes your critical hits better, I guess.**

After reading through those comments, Izuku discarded the idea of his subconscious controlling the quirk. After all, there's no way he'd be that vulgar, right?

... And now he jinxed it.

He moved the screen away from his face and started tidying his bed. From what he saw of tutorial so far, it was all standard stuff. Like all teenagers, he played video games quite a lot, so it was pretty easy to understand.

After going through his morning rituals, he exited his room and went to the kitchen. In the dining table, there was a note from his mother

 _Izuku_

 _I went to restock on some groceries, but there's food for you to prepare breakfast._

He smiled and opened the fridge. He couldn't wait to tell his mom about his quirk. He could already see her fussing over him, and telling how glad she was.

After gathering the ingredients and making a simple sandwich, he sat on a chair, but stopped short of eating due to another pop-up.

 **Through a specific action, you have unlocked a skill! This skill is not at Lv.1 due to previous use. You will encounter more skills at this state as you continue your game. OR, you could go to {Skills} right now to continue your tutorial.**

 **Cooking Lv.6(Active):** **The act of combining ingredients to prepare food. By using special ingredients you can make your food give bonuses to your stats.**

The choice was obvious. Izuku closed the notification and opened the Skills Menu.

 **[Skills] are abilities** **that come from one's knowledge, practice or innate talent. They allow you to do execute actions with varied levels of competence. You gain skills by simply acting in specific ways. Let's give a look at your skills.**

 **Gamer's Body (Passive):** **You have the body of a video game character. All Damage to your body is dealt in HP loss and Status Effects.**

 **Gamer's Mind (Passive):** **No more nervous stuttering! Allows you to think always clearly with a peaceful state of mind. Can be disrupted by certain Status Effects.**

That was… almost unbelievable. He quickly opened his Stats and searched for Health Regeneration.

 **HP/s: 0.112(+0.026)**

 **MP/s: 0.225**

He started to chuckle at the irony of it all. He, someone who experienced first-hand that men weren't created equal in a world of superpowers, now could heal off any damage in 30 minutes or less.

 **[Observe] Lv.60(Active):** **The act of perceiving something through constant watch. You have developed this skill on your constant hunts for hero fights and quirk analysis. At Lv.60 Observe reveals Stats, Condition, History, Equipment and Social Links from up to 6 multiple targets from Lv.1 to LV. 60.**

He choked on his sandwich. Instant information on anything?!

" **Observe** " he said, giving a test. Instantly, he felt a very faint pull in the back of his head and instinctively placed a palm to feel around. In a quick blink he was started to get used to, a screen appeared.

 **Sandwich Lv.6**

 **A simple sandwich composed of bread, ham and cheese. Made by Izuku Midoriya.**

 **Effects: +1HP/s for 10s**

 **{See More}**

 **{Close}**

Izuku grinned like a kid on Christmas. The possibilities for this skill were rushing through his head so sporadically that his hands twitched, searching for a notebook.

This could be used for anything from investigations to information gathering. He could learn everything about a quirk with a single glance glance! He started observing everything around his house, itching to test out this new skill.

 **Refrigerator Lv.1**

 **Damage Threshold(DT): 20**

 **Damage Reduction(DR): 30%**

 **Durability: 58/70**

 **{See More}**

 **Table Lv.1**

 **A simple wooden table.**

 **Durability: 28/30**

 **{See More}**

So…by giving it a look, he could instantly see the more important bits of info. He went to the 'See More' section of the fridge. There were listed all of the most specific details, such as the date it was fabricated, what food it had inside, etc. This only served to excite him more. It was probably one of his most powerful skills.

 **For understanding the full scope of your skill, you gain +1 WIS and INT!**

So That's how extra stat gains worked. He didn't feel any difference though. The changes would only be noticeable as he gained more points, probably.

 **By coming to a logical conclusion about your stats, you gain +1 INT!**

He opened his Stats page again to see if there was a difference. He got up from his chair and started walking towards his room, the blue screen following through mental commands. If he was going to follow this tutorial, it would be better to do it while taking notes. Luckily, he already had a empty notebook. It was going to be the 14th edition of his Hero Analysis for The Future, but this development changed everything.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Midoriya Izuku**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 1(0.00%) [Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: 4000 yen {Specifics}**

 **STR: 23**

 **DEX: 26**

 **VIT: 33.8(+30%)**

 **WIS: 28**

 **INT: 34**

 **CHA: 31.2(+5.2)**

 **LCK: 5**

 **Stat Points: 0**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 220/154 MP: 136/136**

 **[Refreshed]: You had a good night's sleep. Your body and mind are ready for a brand new day. +10% Experience(Xp) gains, +30% VIT, +10% CHA. Lasts for 5 hours.**

As promised, the Mana Points increased. Doing some simple math, he deduced that the for each point of INT, he gained 4 more Mana Points.

 **By coming to a logical conclusion about your stats, you gain +1 INT!**

Right on the money it seemed. Satisfied, he closed the page and went back to the skills.

 **[Martial Arts Mastery] Lv.4(Passive):** **Your constant watch of fights between heroes and villains gave you an idea on how they move. All of your strikes deal (30%STR + 30%DEX).**

 **[Sense Danger] Lv.6(Passive):** **Beware the Kaachan! This skill allows you to detect any immediate danger to yourself in a 12 meter radius.**

 **[Detect Bloodlust] Lv.5(Passive):** **You're used to the feeling of someone wanting to** **explodo-** **kill you. Allows you to detect the intent to harm in a 5 meter radius.**

He sweatdropped at the accuracy of the descriptions. It was starting to get a little creepy how much this game knew him.

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated**

The uncomfortable feeling that was taking place in his gut decreased. This was his quirk, right? It only made sense it knew all about him. Wait a second…

"So this is Gamer's Mind, huh?" He mused. Honestly he kinda of skimmed over it, thinking it was pretty tame compared to the other skills. But it was just as handy; Being able to think thing rationally no matter the situation was an invaluable skill for a hero, who was constantly in stressful situations.

 **By coming to a rational conclusion about your skills, you gain +1 WIS!**

 **[Sneak] Lv.2(Active):** **The skill to act furtively. This allows you to move in a way that's harder to detect. Running and using other skills will cancel your sneaking.**

 **[First Aid] Lv.9(Active):** **The skill to give emergency aid or treatment given to someone injured, suddenly ill before regular medical services arrive or can be reached. When activated, it heals the target for 9HP.**

 **[Dish-Washing] Lv.25(Active):** **The skill to wash dishes. Increases efficiency while washing dishes by 50%.**

"…What." He intoned in perfect deadpan. Honestly, why did this even exist? He opened the door to his room and moved towards his desk, his eyes scanning the room for the new notebook.

 **And that's all of your [Skills]! Next up, [Equipment]!**

A new screen sprouted. This one showed a spinning, 3D model of Izuku, with various slots covering it. With a wave of his hand, it disappeared. He knew how to equip gear.

 **... Okay then. Now, [Inventory]!**

Now this was interesting. Izuku looked at the new display. There were numerous blank slots in a square shape covering the screen.

 **Weight: 0/76 lbs.**

 **Try is your Inventory Window. It shows all of the items you're carrying in your person. When you put something inside a slot, the item goes inside a pocket dimension. You can withdraw items by reaching the corresponding slot and pulling. There** _ **is**_ **a weight limit though, so be wary of that.**

…Pocket Dimensions. God. Damn. _Pocket Dimensions_. If this was what he had by default, he was looking forward to learn magic.

He opened the drawer of his desk and grabbed his new notebook. grabbing a pen from another drawer he titled the book 'Skill List'. Satisfied, he turned to his inventory and extended his right hand, which was still holding the pen. Aiming at a top-left slot, he thrusted his hand forward.

The pen glowed a pale blue, sinking into the inventory along with Izuku's slow push. "It offers no resistance." He noted absentmindedly, mesmerized by the display of a real life pocket dimension.

After completely entering, the pen turned into a very realistic 2D model. He reached for it and pulled, this time with more speed. In the same blue glow, the pen materialized in his palm.

This was madness. Completely nuts. The utter insanity of real life video game mechanics started to sink into the boy who was no longer quirkless.

If this was used by a villain, what would be the damage? He could hypothetically smuggle any goods, steal any object, all without a chance of getting caught. And what about Observe? The description said it could show history, so did it mean people's backgrounds? Their entire lives at a simple command?

It was too much power for one person. He was just a fourteen year old, for god's sake! he couldn't possibly deal with this kind of thing.

 **By realizing the true power of [The Gamer], you gain +5 WIS!**

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

Like every time he found himself in a dilemma, Izuku turned to his biggest role models for an answer.

He looked around at his room. Various products covered the whole space, ranging from figurines and posters to color-themed memorabilia. Heroes in all of them.

And all of them had the potential to do harm.

A flaming punch from Endeavor, a pierce attack from Edgeshot, getting suffocated by your own clothes thanks to Best Jeanist. 13's Black Hole, Cementoss' Cement, Midnight's Somnambulist and the list went on. But that wasn't all.

A flash of yellow hair caught his eye and he turned to the hero that had the biggest amount of merchandise in his name.

The Symbol of Peace, All Might.

How much fine control must be required for him? A man that could punch buildings away, leap between cities and move faster than the eye could see? Sometimes he didn't even beat enemies with the punch itself, but with the air pressure generated by it.

And here he was, whining about his power. Wasn't this what he always wanted!? To stop being a quirkless Deku, to be a hero, to save people with a smile! He shouldn't be worried about people using this to do harm, since it was _his quirk!_

His previously anxious expression gave way to a shaky, but broad grin that mirrored the poster of his favorite hero. It was his responsibility to use these skills for good.

To become a hero.

 **Your conclusion strengthened your resolve to become a hero. You gain 5 WIS and 100 XP!**

 **You Leveled up!**

And the first step towards that would be increasing his stats.

* * *

 **(AN): The reason I gave the quirk to Izuku at this point was so he could get used to it. I didn't want to give it when the show starts because I'd have to rush it all up in order to grant him the skills I want him to have by the time of the U.A exam.**

 **Give me your opinions. This is my first story and I kinda of need input. I always wanted to write stories, but everytime I went out to do anything, I became self-conscious and deleted it after some paragraphs. Until I decided to just wing it. So give your review, ask anything you're curious about, favorite it if you liked it, and follow if you wanna see more. Also, tell me if I messed anything on the grammar. I try to read everything three times, but some errors always slip through the cracks.**

 **In the next** **chapter, Izuku will learn how to manipulate mana, tell his mom about the quirk and discover the bullshit that is Instant Dungeon.**

 **I don't know when I'll update. Could be this week, could be next month. I'll update my Profile in case any developments happen.**

 **Thanks for reading my word vomit. Bye Bye!**

 **Update(16/06/2018): I fixed some bad grammar and nerfed Izuku's strenght from 23 to 19.**

 **Update(27/06/2018): More grammar fixes. Changed the refrigerator stats.**

 **Update(09/07/2018): Fixed the carry weight. What the hell was I thinking when putting 184!?**


	2. Second Step

**CHAPTER 2**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia or The Gamer. If I did, you wouldn't find me writing fanfic about my own creation, now wouldja?**

 **(AN): Remember when I said 'maybe I'll upload this week?' Yeah, midterms happened and I kinda of pushed writing into the depths of my mind. Sorry about that.**

 **On another topic, I'm impressed with how many people liked this story. I wasn't expecting that many follows and favorites. Thanks to everyone for keeping up with it, and extra kudos for everyone who took their time to review.**

* * *

Izuku inserted the pen back into his inventory, grabbed his notebook and did the same. In fact, he started putting anything of importance inside it. His wallet, all the other hero notebooks, his phone,charger, and the list went on. Nothing escaped the grasp of his newly discovered pocket dimension.

While his hands moved automatically to grab new things, he thought on how to improve his stats.

' _Gamer's Body sure is incredible. Since all damage to my body is dealt in HP loss, The most I'll suffer from working out nonstop will be some potential fatigue. I'll have to research some training schedules to reinforce the physical stats, increase WIS and INT while in school and figure out CHA and LCK as I go along'_ At some point, he grabbed back his new notebook and started writing everything down.

 **By planning ahead your training, you gain +1 INT!**

 **Now, let me teach you about [Quests]! They are the main method you'll use to gain EXP. Quests are created spontaneously by the player or NPCs. Different quests give different rewards, and most of them have optional objectives that reward you even more.**

 **Quest Created: Interactive Tutorial, Phase 1.**

 **Time for a test-drive of the quest system! complete this in order to progress your tutorial.**

 **Objectives:**

 **Read 'Mana For Dummies'.**

 **Rewards:**

 **200 Exp.**

As soon as the quest popped up, a book materialized on top of his bed. It had a blue cover, with golden stylized letters saying 'Mana For Dummies'.

Izuku had to give it to his quirk: When it mocked him, at least it was creative. Sighing, he begrudgingly picked up the book.

 **This is a skill book! They teach you skills instantly, so try to find more of them in your adventures as [The Gamer]. The rarer the skill books, the more unique the skill will be.**

 **You've obtained a skill book for [Mana Manipulation]. Do you wish to learn this skill?**

 **{Y/N}**

He selected 'No' and opened the book. By RPG rules, there was a big chance that if he selected 'Yes', it would disappear forever, so he wanted to take a look to test if he could understand it, and then learn the skill without consuming it. Most of his confidence stemmed from the fact that the thing was pretty small. It probably wasn't going to be that hard…

" _Welcome to 'Mana For Dummies'. This book is a simple guide for anyone who wants become a motherfucking wizard, but can't even cast a measly Mana Bolt. After reading this, you'll have taken the first steps in learning magic. To learn more shit you probably shouldn't trust a book to teach you, check out my other works: 'Potions For Dummies', 'Your Affinity and You' and 'How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Runes'._

 _Mana is the spiritual energy that every living thing possesses. On humans, it is generated by the soul and stays around the brain, moving between the nerves. However, some individuals can make it flow around the entire nervous system. This flow is what allows the use of mana, and subsequently, magic. Living organisms that don't possess a nervous system also have mana, but much less. It also radiates out of the physical body in very small doses. This occurs unconsciously, and it allows some mages to use magic with the ambient mana instead of theirs. However, someone can also suppress this effect through various techniques."_

In the next pages were images of the human nervous system, and a diagram explaining the difference of mana between species. Fairies had the most, humans and animals came second and plants were in last place.

" _To utilize mana, one must open its flow to the rest of the body by manipulating it with your mind. It sounds easy on paper, but this requires extremely high body control and intense concentration, so it might take weeks or even months, if you have low mana reserves. Some tips to fasten the process are meditation and constant exercise. Healthy mind, healthy body._

 _There are some spells that unlock a person's mana, but since you're reading this book, you're probably in the level of desperation of someone who has no other option."_

The following text had some breathing exercises and tips on a diet for keeping the body healthy.

" _After you unlock your mana, things become pretty simple. It is connected to your soul, so it'll respond to your intent. Try some basic things, like expelling from your body with force, or making shapes with it. After you mastered shaping and expelling your mana, try some basic attacks, like Mana Arrows or Mana Bolts._

 _All of that is pretty neat, but the most valuable technique you can learn at your current skill level is Reinforcement. Just focus your mana on anything and focus your intent on 'strengthening' it. This will increase the efficiency of the target. Hell, if you want to, you can even reinforce even yourself!_

 _And that's a wrap. Practice a lot, and maybe one day you can become a_ good enough _wizard to not need shitty guides like this."_

 **By reading a book and learning something new, you gain 5 INT!**

' _So either spend days trying or unlock it instantly. What a difficult choice.'_ Izuku thought sarcastically. He would try meditating at least once just to have a basic idea on how difficult it would be, though.

Storing away the book, he sat cross-legged in his bed and started inhaling and exhaling slowly, trying to clear his mind by focusing it on the rhythm of his body moving along with his breathing.

Let it be known that meditating with Gamer's Mind was the easiest thing ever. After some minutes he had entered a state of calmness he never experienced before. In normal circumstances, his mind was always active, always thinking about something. This was actually helping him relax for a change.

He didn't know how much time he spent there, just sitting on his room, reflecting and trying to feel his mana, but eventually, he opened his eyes and was greeted by various screens.

 **By achieving a state of clarity through contemplation, you have learned [Meditate]!**

 **[Meditate] Lv.1 (Active): The skill to sharpen focus, order thoughts and increase clarity of mind. While meditating, your MP/min increases by 50%.**

 **[Meditate] is now Lv.2!**

 **[Meditate] is now Lv.3!**

 **[Meditate] is now Lv.4!**

He dismissed all of them and retrieved the skill book. No matter how much he had concentrated, he hadn't been able to make any progress on unlocking his mana. He wasn't really up to spending weeks trying do it by himself instead of simply learning instantly. Call him hasty, but he thought that taking the shortest route was the smart thing to do.

Really, the only reason he went through all of this in the first place was because he was used to doing things by himself without the aid of a quirk. That, and his stubbornness.

 **This is a skill book for [Mana Manipulation]. Do you wish to learn this skill?**

 **{Y/N}**

After he selected 'Yes', the book disappeared like he suspected it would.

Suddenly, he lurched forward, a gasp escaping from his lips. His arms spasmed and his fingers twitched, but there was no pain. He looked at his upper body alarmed. There was a glow under his skin that was spreading to the rest of his body, slowly coming into a shape. He then recognized the pattern forming as the outline of the Peripheral Nervous System. After that, he relaxed his body, laid down on the bed and let the process continue.

In a matter of seconds, Izuku had unlocked his mana. Raw spiritual energy coursed through his body, and the tingling sensation not unlike electricity was almost addictive. He got up looked at himself. While he wasn't glowing anymore, there was no doubt major changes happened within his body. He didn't feel faster or stronger, just… better than before.

 **You have learned [Mana Manipulation]!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] Lv.1 (Passive): You can generate, shape and manipulate mana, the spiritual energy that all living things possess. Allows use of raw mana.**

 **Quest Completed: Interactive Tutorial, Phase 1.**

 **You gain 220 EXP!**

 **You leveled up!**

 **I know you must be pretty proud of yourself for completing a quest as** _ **difficult**_ **as that one, but it's time to continue your tutorial.**

 **[Instant Dungeons], a.k.a IDs, are the main method you'll use to gain items and hone your battle skills. They're spaces filled with monsters and loot so that you can have adventures even in a modern society with no monsters!**

 **But why just tell you about it? Let's go inside an ID right now!**

As the game went on with its explanation, a violet portal appeared inside of his room. It was slightly bigger than himself, and was large enough for 2 people to slip in at the same time.

"..." Izuku stared at portal with a blank stare. Sure, just go opening portals inside the room without his consent.

 **You can access IDs through portals or barriers. They can be generated by yourself in the menu or found throughout the city by exploring. Although the spaces you generate have several limitations because of your current level, it is also possible to find special items that unlock extra IDs. But that depends on your LCK, so it's better to explore the world you're in and save yourself the trouble. To give you an incentive to start this ID, I'll give you an objective to complete, along with some rewards.**

 **Quest Created: Interactive Tutorial, Phase 2.**

 **Time to explore your first dungeon! Complete this to progress your tutorial.**

 **Objectives:**

 **Kill all the monsters inside the ID. (0/8)**

 **Rewards:**

 **300 XP**

 **x1 Random Skill Book**

Well, he couldn't say no to more skill books. Shrugging, he took a step forward. The faster he finished this, the faster he could use his quirk without any tutorials. Another step. He wasn't really worried about defeating those monsters; Since this was a part of the tutorial, It had to be something easy, like some rats or weakened enemies.

It's not like he could die to an effect of his own quirk.

He took the final step and entered the portal, not once looking back.

* * *

The place he appeared was something out of a generic game phase, which really shouldn't be surprising considering his quirk.

The sunlight shining down on him wasn't a good fit with this place. Earth darker than it should be possible, covered by uncontrolled vegetation and various graves, set this cemetery as the scariest place Izuku had ever seen. And as a young man that constantly watched hero fights and their battlefields, this was saying a lot.

All the zombies and skeletons roaming around certainly didn't do him any favors.

Shit. _Shit!_ He was trembling uncontrollably, and the only reason he wasn't screaming his lungs out was because he didn't want to catch those monsters' attention. Goddammit why, couldn't this be a normal tutorial?! Why didn't he suspect anything when the game offered all of those rewards!?

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

His shaking stopped gradually. He couldn't afford being afraid. Panicking right now could make him lose this battle, or even die.

' _First step: find a safe location'_ He recited this in his mind like a mantra, looking around for anything that would make good cover. After spotting a patch of thick foliage, he crouched low and slowly walked towards it, making sure to not cause any noise.

 **[Sneak] Activated!**

Arriving at his advantage point, he wiped sweat from his brow and let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding. What the hell was he thinking when entering without any preparation!? Oh, yeah: 'It's not like it'll be hard, it's just a tutorial!' Fair point, but he was on his goddamn casual clothes. He was wearing sandals, for god's sake. _Sandals!_

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

Shit, he lost his focus again. Damn it, Izuku! This was no time to let emotions go haywire. He could reflect on his mistakes after, when he escaped this situation.

' _Second step: Analyze the situation. I'm alone, against…'_ He took a second to remember. ' _eight enemies. No backup is coming. All I have is some notebooks, an extra batch of clothes and my cellphone.'_ He materialized his phone and checked it. No signal, as he expected, but there was no harm in making sure. ' _None of which can help me here. The skills most useful in this situation will be Sneak, Sense Danger, Martial Arts and Mana Manipulation.'_

Now, he had to analyze his enemies. However, before he could start using Observe, he noticed something at his side: The tutorial screen. ' _Was I so scared I couldn't even notice it?'_ he pondered.

 **This is an standard ID. Right now, you're in a different dimension of space, and the link between this place and your room is the portal, which closes automatically after you enter. If you use [Escape ID], the portal reappears to your side no matter where you are. Be wary though: once you enter the ID again, you will spawn in the place where you exited from.**

 **This are the basics for IDs. Some of them have special rules, so if you're confused, just use the [Help] menu.**

Izuku took the new information in quickly. So, he could still go back to the portal quickly and close it before the monsters came. Yeah… that's right, he could just… close it, and forget about the mission. He wasn't going to risk his life for a book and some EXP!

' _But is that really it? Why even have Instant Dungeons at all-No, have a_ quirk _, if all you're going to do is get scared and run whenever something new happens? What happened to being a hero, huh?'_ A part of him asked. But this was different!

' _You see, this is why you never succeed at anything. How do you expect to save people, if you can't even win against a bunch of tutorial enemies? Do you think the villains will just defeat themselves? C'mon, you're not that naive!'_ His traitorous mind continued to egg him on.

' _Is this the limit of your will to become a hero? Will you just run with your tail between your legs, and prove everyone that thought you couldn't accomplish anything that they were right? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO, MIDORIYA IZUKU!?'_

At this point, the answer was already clear within his mind; He wasn't going to run.

He would fight, and win.

 **Your willpower and sheer desire to win have created a new skill!**

 **[Fighting Spirit] Lv.1(Passive): Every human has the basic instinct of 'fight and flight', but you have harnessed the strength that comes from conflict. Increases all stats by 1 when in combat.**

If anyone looked at Izuku right now, they wouldn't be able to see the same skittish, meek young man that stuttered at every word. His eyes were sharp, burning with a determination so intense, that you'd be able to see them glowing. His posture was like that of a snake coiled, ready to jump at one of the monsters at any moment.

With his mind focused and his body fueled by Fighting Spirit, he rose from his hiding spot and Observed one of the skeletons.

 **Skeleton Lv.10**

 **A corpse reanimated by necromancy. It is wielding a Rusty Short Sword.**

 **STR: 20**

 **DEX: 28**

 **VIT: 30**

 **WIS: 6**

 **INT: 12**

 **CHA: 3**

 **LCK: 1**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 170/170** **MP: 0**

 **[Undead]: This creature has no mana of its own. When its HP reaches 0, it can do a VIT Will Save to come back with 10% of its HP. It takes 300% extra damage from holy attacks and is immune to the effects of poison.**

He did the same with all of the other skeletons. Only the first one had a weapon, and all of them were just walking back and forth without purpose. His eyes eventually found a zombie. Its skin was the unnaturally gray of a rotting corpse. It had no noticeable wounds, meaning it wasn't murdered. It had an average height, but its hunched position made it look smaller. It was wearing ragged pieces of clothing that were ripped to pieces and barely covered its modesty

 **Zombie Lv. 8**

 **A corpse reanimated by necromancy.**

 **STR: 25**

 **DEX: 12**

 **VIT: 32**

 **WIS: 3**

 **INT: 6**

 **CHA: 1**

 **LCK: 1**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 185/185** **MP: 0**

 **[Undead]: This creature has no mana of its own. When its HP reaches 0, it can do a VIT Will Save to come back with 10% of its HP. It takes 300% extra damage from holy attacks and is immune to the effects of poison.**

The thing wasn't moving. It was just staring at ahead with a blank, disfigured look, fitting its namesake. Izuku was finding Gamer's Mind to be a blessing right now, and he had a feeling this would be common in the future.

 **[Sneak] is now Lv.3!**

Now that he had analyzed the situation, he had a small plan to deal with it. He lifted his right arm and focused his intent. Green spiritual energy started seeping out slowly and he shaped it into a small sphere.

With his other arm, he grabbed a small stone that was separated from its grave and threw it as hard as he could without reinforcing himself with mana. The small object bounded away and landed at a grave 4 meters away from the armed skeleton, catching its attention. The undead looked at the place it landed, and walked towards it.

Izuku cringed slightly at the sound of bones rattling, but even so he stalked his target, taking care to not to alert any of the others.

 **[Sneak] is now Lv.4!**

The skeleton reached the stone and picked it up, looking at it with an unreadable expression. The green haired boy acted quickly, pointing his right arm and firing away the mana sphere at his target's head.

 **Critical Hit!**

The attack collided with its head, making a hideous crunching noise. The skeleton stumbled forward due to the surprise attack, but before it could even turn around, Izuku fired away two more times with no hesitation. The first blast hit the neck and the second one hit the shoulder area, breaking the collarbone and making the rest of the body fall forward with a thud.

 **Critical Hit!**

 **You gained 82 EXP.**

Three of the skeletons started approaching slowly, being disrupted by the loud sounds in quick succession. The other monsters were too far and didn't hear it.

He wasted no time and ducked lower than before, grabbing the rusty sword off the ground and sneaking away to another bush.

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.3!**

 **By shaping your mana and expelling it away, you have created a new skill!**

 **[Mana Blast] Lv.1(Active): Expels mana in the rough shape of a sphere. Costs 4 MP.**

 **[Mana Blast] is now Lv. 2!**

This time, with more targets, he had to be more precise than before. Only one of his attacks had hit the desired mark before. He was Lucky that they counted as critical hits, or else the skeleton might've been able to counterattack. He released more mana from his body, and this time shaped them into arrows. These would be more aerodynamic, and could pierce their skulls more easily.

 **By creatively shaping your attacks, you have developed a new skill!**

 **[Mana Arrow] Lv.1(Active): Attacks with an arrow made of mana that pierces through armor. Costs 4 MP.**

Perfect. Now that he'd taken the only armed enemy, there was no serious threat. That meant he could afford to defeat them faster, at the cost of stealth.

" **Mana Arrow!** " He cried out, rising from his hiding position and firing six arrows, two for each skeleton's head.

 **Critical Hit!**

 **Critical Hit!**

 **Critical Hit!**

 **You gained 246 EXP.**

 **You leveled up!**

 **[Mana Arrow] is now Lv. 2!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.4!**

They were killed instantly. Well, as killed as they could be, considering they were already dead. The arrows hit their mark right on, piercing their skulls, hitting the ground and dissipating.

 **[Sense Danger] Activated!**

He turned around and fired two more arrows at an approaching skeleton. By now, all of the undead were aware of his position, and were rapidly approaching. Well, the zombie was being pretty slow, but you get the idea.

 **Critical Hit!**

 **You gained 82 EXP.**

Two skeletons ran past the 'corpse' of their 'comrade' and the one most close to Izuku swiped his hand at him. He sidestepped to the left and punched it in the skull with a mana enhanced fist, sending him flying towards the other one. To finish them off, he fired three mana arrows.

 **Critical Hit!**

 **Critical Hit!**

 **You gain 164 EXP.**

 **[Mana Arrow] is now Lv.3!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.5!**

 **By enhancing the power behind your blows with mana, you have developed a new skill!**

 **[Power Strike] Lv.1(Active): Attacks with a mana enhanced strike. Costs 8 MP.**

He looked at the last enemy standing. The zombie let out a hideous gurgle and took another step forward, his arms outstretched in a classic horror film pose. Izuku fired a mana blast right at his throat. The attack sent it backwards and took off its footing, making it fall down unceremoniously.

 **Critical Hit!**

As he was about to turn around and leave, he heard a meaty squelch and looked back. The zombie was up again, but barely. Its head was almost out of neck, hanging on through a few bits of bone and flesh.

If Izuku wasn't being affected by Gamer's Mind and Fighting Spirit during these last minutes, he probably would have vomited at least five times.

He aimed at the neck once again and let out another blast.

 **You gained 82 EXP.**

 **[Mana Blast] is now Lv. 3!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.6!**

 **Quest Completed: Interactive Tutorial, Phase 2.**

 **You gained 330 EXP!**

 **You gained a Skill Book for: Electric Aura!**

 **You leveled up!**

After the notifications appeared, his body collapsed and he fell into the ground on all fours, panting loudly. To his right, he could see the skill book on top of a skeleton. He looked around and realized he was surrounded by the bodies of his enemies.

For a someone who never fought once in his life, he did pretty damn good.

' _And it was easy'_ , his mind supplied. Most of the enemies didn't have any weapons or armor, and were extremely predictable. They _looked_ scary, and that was all they had going on for themselves. He completely wiped them out, without losing any health.

His freakout at the start was unfounded. It was just irrational rambling caused by fear of the unknown. Once Gamer's Mind had activated, he quickly found a way to victory.

But at the same time, if he didn't possess Gamer's Mind, he would never be able to make the logical decisions necessary to overcome this dungeon, meaning there was a real risk.

Dammit, why did this have to be so complicated? He just wanted to be a hero!

 **You're no longer [Refreshed].**

 **You're inflicted with [Exhaustion]!**

Thanks, but he didn't need a notification to know that. The Status Effect combined with the loss of Fighting Spirit's boost made him feel like he was carrying five times his own weight.

It took seven minutes to pick himself up, grab his reward and leave the tutorial, but when he left, it was with a sense of satisfaction.

* * *

Izuku turned the shower handle around, stopping the water. His Exhaustion had already faded a few minutes ago. After he arrived home, he had put the skill book on the inventory and went to take a bath. He had also closed the tutorial temporarily. For now he just wanted to take a little break from it.

He dried himself and grabbed some clothes from his inventory. After dressing up and leaving the bathroom, he entered his room and booted up the computer.

While the machine was turning on, Izuku checked his status page.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Midoriya Izuku**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 5(85.20%)** **[Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: 4000 yen** **{Specifics}**

 **STR: 19**

 **DEX: 26**

 **VIT: 26**

 **WIS: 39**

 **INT: 41**

 **CHA: 26**

 **LCK: 5**

 **Stat Points: 40**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 149/149** **MP: 164/164**

40 stat points to spend. Where should he put it? Should he even use them now? Probably not. Higher stats meant they were harder to increase; This way, if he upgraded them right now, his future training wouldn't have any significant effect.

He turned to his computer, but a knock on the door stopped him on his tracks. Damn. He forgot about his mom. He wasn't ready for this. He turned his head around and looked at the alarm clock.

 _11:30 AM_

Wow, he spent way too much time messing around with the tutorial. But hey, you couldn't blame him for losing track of time after getting a brand new quirk and fighting a bunch of monsters, _Right?_

He heard footsteps increasing in volume and a muffled "Izuku?" that sent his mind back to the present situation. Right, what the hell would he say to mom? 'Hey mom, remember that time when the doctor said I should just give up? Well screw that, here's a pocket dimension.'

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated**

His nervousness decreased. _It was okay_. This was his mom, the kindest person he knew. She wouldn't react badly. Why would she even react badly? She _would_ cry a lot and fuss over him during the rest of the day, but this was something he was used to. He'd just approach her, make some small talk and then reveal everything. Simple and effective. His previous nervousness completely disappearing, he smiled and exited the room, walking towards the apartment's entrance.

Gamer's Mind sure was useful.

* * *

Midoriya Inko sighed and returned to stocking the kitchen cabinet. Her son was sleeping late again. She really should stop Izuku from pulling those all-nighters. He was a growing boy, and couldn't afford to keep such a bad sleep schedule. But what could she say to him? They both knew the reason for why he had to do this.

She shook her head to stop the unwanted thoughts. But no matter how much she tried ignoring it, the situation within the Midoriya household was only worsening. Izuku was becoming more reclusive everyday, and whenever she'd ask about it, he would just give an excuse that she always saw through, but never had the courage to call him out on it. But judging by the way he looked at her after every lie, he was also aware of it.

Both of them were just keeping up with this facade, because they were afraid of what would happen if they came clean.

Finishing her chore, she rose and turned around to go wake her son up, only to come face to face with him. "Good morning mom." He said smiling, already wearing his casual clothes. Wasn't he supposed to be asleep?

"G-good morning Izuku. Did you sleep well?"

"I did. Do you need help with the groceries?" His smile was replaced with a frown that couldn't be taken seriously due to his cute baby face. She shook her head at him, smiling all the while. Always looking to help, her Izuku.

"No need. I'm all finished, see?" She stepped to the side, showing the cabinet filled with all sorts of products. In total, there wasn't much, but that was to be expected in a house with only two people.

They made some small talk, and as the minutes passed, her previous worries subsided somehow. He was probably just starting _that phase_. He was already thirteen, after all. There was nothing to worry about. But she still worried and fussed over him, because that's what a mother does. Gosh, single parenting was hard.

She was just about to suggest going to the living room to watch something together when he voiced the six words that brought back her previous feelings back ten times stronger.

"I need to tell you something."

She sat down at the dining table, not bothering to hide her apprehension. He remained standing and she waited for him to talk. He looked excited about something, which was weird considering he only took that kind of expression when talking about heroes.

"I have a quirk." He said with the brightest grin she'd ever seen on his face. But before she could utter a word, he proceeded to make a pen and notebook appear out of thin air.

Minutes passed, and she stood still, her only movement being a slow slack of her jaw.

Distantly, she could see him gushing about his new quirk, saying it was probably a mutation or late blooming. But she couldn't hear any of it. her mind was still reeling from the news.

Izuku had a quirk.

Her baby boy wasn't quirkless.

She couldn't express her happiness with words. But she didn't need to.

"Izuku~!" She wailed.

"And I can also use some sort of energy to-Oof!"

Her sudden movement made him flinch, but it didn't stop her. Leaping from her chair and wrapping her arms around him, she could already feel the tears flowing out of her eyes.

Unknown to them, the same scene played for a split second in both of their minds. A young Inko hugging the small form of a 5 year old Izuku, asking for forgiveness.

" _I'm sorry, Izuku, I'm so sorry…!"_

But no more. No longer would he suffer for something out of his control. Teachers and acquaintances wouldn't look at him like some sort of abomination. With this quirk, he could have a normal life, the sort of life she had always wanted to give him.

"I'm so glad for you!"

And for the first time since that fateful visit to the doctor, Midoriya Inko felt in peace.

* * *

The two Midoriyas just stayed there for a few minutes embracing each other, both of their faces filled with tears and a giant smile.

 **Your relationship with your mother has been strengthened!**

 **Midoriya Inko's Social Link is now at Rank 9!**

 **You gained 900 XP!**

 **You leveled up!**

 **You leveled up!**

 **Sheesh Izuku, how come you couldn't even finish the whole tutorial? Time for another explanation. [Social Links] are the bonds you form with people. They grant you special abilities when you MAX them, but some have extra abilities sprinkled between other ranks. It is literally the power of friendship.**

Eventually, they separated, and Izuku took his time explaining everything to his mother (again), omitting the game details. He had showed up with his Status screen open, and when she didn't react to a giant blue display in the kitchen, he found out that nobody but him could see this part of his quirk.

He would tell her eventually, when he discovered some sort of magic to prove it. Like some sort of 'See through my eyes' spell or something similar. But right now, he was just enjoying the moment.

"I'm so glad for you." She repeated, sniffling. He gave her a box of tissues from his inventory. She muttered a quick 'thank you' and started wiping the tears away.

While she was cleaning her face, Izuku took a second look at his stats again.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Midoriya Izuku**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 7(32.85%)** **[Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: 4000 yen** **{Specifics}**

 **STR: 19**

 **DEX: 26**

 **VIT: 26**

 **WIS: 39**

 **INT: 41**

 **CHA: 26**

 **LCK: 5**

 **Stat Points: 60**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 149/149** **MP: 164/164**

Nice. Now he had 60 stat points to use. Now that he had them in excess, it'd be good to use some, just to test it out-

"Izuku, what are you looking at?" her voice brought him back to the present situation.

"N-nothing!" he answered too quick for anyone but her, who lived with his mannerisms during her whole life, to understand what was said.

"Izuku…" She spoke slowly. He looked at her. Her face was contorted in a serious expression. "I… I said something awful to you when you were just a child. I've always regretted that. Back then... I just gave up on you... but you never quit, Izuku. You kept chasing after your dreams. And now that you have a quirk, I believe in you! I feel like you can become a great hero. And I also feel… like this is somehow worse. I feel exactly like all of those people that brought you down just because you weren't born in a certain way. I'm truly sorry for that. I should have believed in you from the start. Can you forgive me?"

He stared and saw the sadness and regret residing on her eyes. He saw the guilt that plagued her since he was five years old.

He took a deeper look. Saw the lines in her face, signing her age. The bags forming under her eyes that he never noticed before. The weight she had been putting over the last months, coinciding with when Kaachan started to get more aggressive.

She… she had been suffering just as him, hadn't she? He wasn't the only one affected by his quirklessness. How could he not have seen this?

It was probably his increased intelligence that brought the answer easily: He was ignoring her just like he ignored everyone else. In order to not collapse under the weight of all the people putting him down, he ignored everything but his pursuit of becoming a hero.

 **By gaining insight on your mother's point of view and your own mistakes, you gain +5 WIS!**

She smiled at him and gave him back his pack of tissues. Why though? He just gave it to her because she was crying, he didn't need it back or anything-

 _Drip_

Oh. He was crying.

He muttered a quick thanks and started wiping his own tears. After that, he threw the package back into the inventory and faced his mom.

"I… of course I forgive you mom. You may think you were bad, but for me, you did a great job. I can't possibly think of you as a bad presence in my life. I-if anything, _I_ should be the one apologizing. I was so focused on my dream that I stopped paying attention to you." He never blamed her for his situation. Hell, he just discovered that she was blaming herself for being part of his hardships.

Inko quietly listened to his answer, and when he finished, all of her previous seriousness evaporated into laughter. It was just like him, to find a way to forgive her and shoulder the blame to himself.

"I'm not blaming myself." He announced, surprising her. "It's just-There is no single 'culprit'. That's just the way society as a whole is. Nowadays, quirks are super important, so I was ostracized for not having one."

It was a sad reality, but a quirkless person wasn't treated like any other person.

 **For convincing your mother, you gained 1 CHA!**

She smiled softly at him. "If you say it's not my fault, then I'll believe it too." When had he become so confident?

"Well, we shouldn't just stay here. Let's go to the living room. You can tell me everything about your quirk there. Knowing you, there's probably already two notebooks' worth of notes on it" She teased him with a knowing tone.

"Mom!" He exclaimed, embarrassed. He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks, turning his face bright red. He wasn't that bad! She just giggled and started walking towards the living room. He followed her while fighting a losing battle against laughing too.

* * *

"You know…" He said, breaking the silence. They had been watching TV for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company and sometimes talking about random things. Izuku honestly missed this kind of thing. Throughout the years, he was steadily spending less time with his mother. But now…

Now that he had 'reconciled' with her, the atmosphere around their little apartment felt lighter. She turned to him and tilted her head, signing him to continue.

"What about my quirk registry? Can it just change from 'quirkless' to 'has a quirk'?" He asked.

"Yes it can." She readily answered. "It's funny you ask. Your father had to change it once when he discovered he could generate scales along with his fire breathing. He looked so embarrassed that day. I know I'd be too if I lived my whole life without knowing my own quirk!" She laughed, but he could see that it was forced. His father was a bit of a sore subject to his mom. From what little she told Izuku, he abandoned her while he was still a baby. She gave all of the neighbours the excuse that he was working overseas. He still sent money to cover all expenses, but never came in contact.

After watching the rest of the show, they lunched together and he told her about his plans.

"I'm going to start training to get into a hero school. I have to catch up, since everyone else will have twelve years getting used to their quirk at the time for exams." He explained after finishing his food. She looked at him and sighed exasperated.

"Izuku, you don't need to tell me that, sweetie. You wanting to be a hero is something I'll always take for granted." She said fondly, her smile still in place since the end of their talk.

He smiled bashfully and scratched the back of his head. She grabbed his empty plate and ruffled his hair. "But know this." Her tone suddenly changed to a serious one. "This time, I'm going to support you through every step of the way. I'll be cheering you on with everything I got!"

At that moment, with her 160 cm of height, chubby face and green eyes full of determination, Midoriya Inko looked more imposing and awe-inspiring than any pro-hero.

He nodded, fully believing her. Satisfied for saying her piece, she turned around and went to wash the dishes. The rest of the day passed on a lull, with the Midoriyas spending more time together as mother and son. Both wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 **(AN): The tutorial fight wasn't supposed to be really a fight. It's a moment of character development for Deku. In the anime, we only see him act like a badass at first when he has to save someone. The zero pointer, the Stain fight and the Bakugo rescue, all of those times Deku fights because of his wish to save. Not this time. This time, he fights because he wants to win. The U.A exams and the hero business in general is pretty cutthroat. We see that on the first episode when Mt. Lady steals Kamui's spotlight. Deku wants to be a hero, so he rises above his fear and fights everything on his way.**

 **For the skill book, I used the random page function of the superpower wikia. the ones I got were Werepire Physiology(Isn't a skill), System Manipulation(Which is too OP), Mortality(Which also isn't a skill) and finally, Electric Aura.**

 **Also, I'm sorry this fic is going slow. When I wrote the first chapter, I only had the base for this whole thing. There was no endgame established, no idea on how the arcs would go, etc, etc. So I'm trying to plan ahead to not write myself into a corner.**

 **As always, leave a review. I want your input so I can make this fic better.**


	3. Shifting Routine

**Update(22/07/2018): All three chapters got a minor rewrite. The biggest change is on the ID system, though. Now the monsters can only escape if Izuku lets them, since the portals close right after he passes through.**

 **I was compelled to change after a reviewer pointed out how convoluted the whole thing was. It was basically an excuse to push some drama into the story. The future script was for a boss to pass through the portal and cause havoc in the city. Izuku was going to fight him but lose, and then a pro hero was going to save the day.**

 **I looked at this and then realized: If this cenario happened, Izuku wouldn't open the IDs anymore. It wouldn't be like him to selfishly open more IDs, potentially endangering the city, just so he could get some Exp.** **So, the ID system is now more vanilla.**

 **Now, I'll proceed to answer the reviews of guests and people I forgot.**

 **A guest asked if Izuku will be able to manipulate chi. Answer: Yes and no. In the world I'm building up, chi, ki, mana, prana, od and chakra are all the same thing but with different names on different civilizations. So Izuku is already manipulating chi, but in his game interface it's called mana.**

 **Some people asked if he'll get One For All. I'm honestly unsure, as The Gamer is already OP on its own. Send your opinions and reasoning if you think he should or shouldn't.**

 **To nathanforte40: The carry weight for Izuku is represented by (STR x 4). As you said before, most of your stat ideas are already covered, so I probably won't add more stats.**

 **Two or three people asked about the party system. The answer is a big no-no. For me, it's a shitty powerup at its best, and an obnoxious plot device at its worst.**

 **Pairings are still being decided. As always, remember to review or PM me to clear any of your doubts.**

 **Now, enjoy the "new" chapter.**

* * *

Izuku walked in his school uniform. Today was monday and he was already reaching the entrance for Aldera Junior High.

For once in his life he was excited for a school day.

He tossed a coin up, caught it and repeated the same action again and again. "Heads." He said as the 100 yen coin went up once more. It made its trajectory and landed on his palm, showing the sakura branch symbol.

 **+1 LCK!**

He'd been doing this since exiting his home, slowly increasing his luck. Passing through the gates, he entered the building. His arrival was a bit late, but he knew nothing happen because of it. The teacher always got in late too, after all. To his mild surprise, he caught the said teacher while making his way to the class. But that was good surprise. That meant he could talk with him sooner.

"Good morning sensei." He greeted politely. The teacher turned to him with with a tired expression on his face.

"… Good morning Midoriya." The older man managed to slur out.

"Is it okay I if make an announcement before class?" Izuku asked. Normally the teacher would ask some questions, but in his tiredness, he just nodded. They both entered the classroom.

* * *

Bakugo Katsuki leaned back in his chair and put his legs over the desk with a scowl in his face. To his right, he could hear the two extras that followed him everywhere babbling away. He glared at them, opening his hand and using his quirk. They both seemed to shrink on themselves, but after a few seconds they resumed their talk, this time in a lower tone.

Goddamn, Mondays were boring. If he wasn't so dedicated to keeping a good record, he could be doing a thousand things better than waiting for some dumbass teacher to come and teach him useless crap he was never going to use on his life.

On Mondays, everyone knew to stay away from Katsuki, because if he was in a bad mood by default, on the first school day that was multiplied by ten. The only exception were these idiots at his side, but they had no common sense. It shouldn't be possible for two humans beings to be that fucking dense. It also shouldn't be possible for a teenager to make explosions out of sweat, so he mostly ignored them and sometimes used their money.

Speaking of being dense, He spotted a head full of green hair entering the classroom along with the teacher.

"Settle down, class." The damn teacher spoke with that same tired tone. Why even teach a class if you're gonna do it looking like you're dead inside?

The professor didn't bother to tell him to take his feet off the desk. After spending a year with Katsuki's delinquent tendencies, he just stopped caring like all of them did. "Before we start homeroom, Midoriya has an announcement to make." He was delaying the class so Deku could spout shit no one cared about? Not on his watch, motherfucker.

"Oi, teach. Nobody gives a fuck about whatever Deku has to say. Not even you. Just get on with it." He clarified annoyed, finishing by waving his hand. Honestly, this place was full of idiots. He couldn't wait to get into U.A and get rid of them.

The rest of the class laughed like the bunch of extras they were. The teacher sighed and pinched his nose. Katsuki looked for Deku's reaction. What he saw made him widen his eyes slightly.

He was smiling. No tears, no stuttering, no hiding behind the teacher like he was under attack. The bastard looked nonchalant. And that was no good. If Deku had manifested some hidden backbone on the weekend, that stupid dream of his would resurface. Katsuki couldn't have that. He had to be the only one applying to U.A; One quirkless idiot trying in the same year as him would ruin everything.

Trying, because there was no way he could pass, except for cheating.

The real roblem was that mass media, like the fucking degenerates they were, would drop like vultures on the subject of a quirkless freak going for the U.A exams. And _that_ would take the spotlight out of him, thus ruining everything.

While the extras were still chuckling, Deku stepped forward, looking like he made announcements in front of the class everyday. His posture was straight, his expression was calm and his smile was turning Katsuki's annoyance into anger.

"I am no longer quirkless." Before anybody could dispute that claim, Deku's hands shined a bright green and formed a sphere made from some sort of energy.

The laughter died out. The teacher looked at Deku shocked, actually showing emotion for once. The rest had the same reaction. Deku just kept smiling and made the sphere disappear.

In a impressive display of athleticism, Katsuki leaped from his chair and landed at the desk, explosions forming in his hands. "DEKU! What the fuck is this,huh!? Were you hiding your quirk this whole time, bastard!?" He screamed in fury, barely holding himself back from lunging at him in front of the teacher.

"Bakugo, get off the desk. Also, no quirks in the classroom." The teacher regained some of his cool and waved off his outburst with ease built from months of practice. Katsuki never took it too far inside the class because of his perfectionist streak and desire to debut as a hero with an spotless record. They couldn't do anything about what he did outside, though.

With a deep scowl and posture of restrained rage, he sat down and settled for trying to burn a hole into the green haired boy through glares instead of his quirk.

* * *

"So what's your quirk?" One of the extras asked Deku. Homeroom was over and the next teacher hadn't arrived yet. All of the idiots were standing around his desk, smiling as if they never laughed along when Katsuki beated the shit out of him. Bunch of hypocrites.

Katsuki himself, very begrudgingly, had already accepted that Deku wasn't hiding his quirk. Contrary to what most people thought, he wasn't stupid, meatheaded bully. If there was one person that truly wanted to be a hero, it was Deku. Problem is, he was born useless. While other people had at least bad quirks, Deku couldn't even come out with his mother's shitty telekinesis.

But even so, the little shit kept going at it. Acting as if society itself would bend over and suck him off, just because he _really_ wanted to be a hero. That attitute pissed him off.

Heroes had to win, and Deku was the opposite of a winner.

But this would change if he had a quirk. So _why_ would he hide it? The only plausible reason was to get pity from others, but that didn't happen during his whole fucking life. In conclusion, Deku wouldn't have put up with half the shit people did to him since he was four, just to reveal he had a quirk all along. He was stupid, but not that mentally retarded.

"Yeah shitstain, what is it?" He shouldered past the nameless secondary characters and glared straight at the no longer quirkless idiot. For a moment, Deku's face flickered into his old scared expression, but that only lasted a mere second. Like a switch had been flipped, he smiled at him and lifted an arm.

"It's Psionics. It lets me use my mind to perform feats. I only discovered it yesterday, so I don't know much about it." Deku explained while the ethereal substance shifted in his palm.

"If all you can do is make shapes with it, why even bother? You're still useless after all." He walked off and sat on his chair, his expression returning to the usual scowl. Deku was still just a pebble on his path, quirk or not. He wasn't even worried.

" _Are you okay? You could have hurt yourself, Kacchan."_

Not even worried. What could he do? Make a light show for the villains? Katsuki was aiming to be the next number one hero. He wasn't going to worry about another extra. Because that's what Deku had become now: just another extra with a shitty quirk.

" _T-that's mean, Kaachan. I-I… I won't let you bully him!"_

But he would have to put in extra work on making him learn his place. Now that he had a quirk, the idiot might get cocky.

* * *

After classes ended, he waited for the extras to leave and crept up behind Deku. He was on his phone, probably on some hero fansite, the damn nerd.

"Oi, Deku." Katsuki called out. He turned around and pocketed his phone.

"H-Hey Kacchan. What's up?" He asked uneasy, but the same thing from before happened. After a fraction of a second, Deku looked calm again. This was starting to get on his nerves.

"I bet you're feeling real good about yourself, bastard." He took a step forward with a sneer. "Yeah, I bet you spent the entire day jerking off to your useless quirk, thinking 'I might just get into a hero school'!" He mocked in a poor imitation of the green haired boy's voice.

"Well news flash: You won't." Katsuki put his hand on Deku's shoulder and released a few explosions, while at the same time leaning forward to look down at him, taking advantage of the size difference between the two. "I don't want you to apply to U.A-no, scratch that. I don't even want you to _think_ about applying. Am I clear?" He finished with a rough push that sent the nerd into a desk, making him lose balance and fall.

The smaller boy's head lowered, making his messy hair conceal his expression. Katsuki turned around and made his way out of the classroom, but before he could leave, he heard him speak.

"Kacchan." His voice wasn't in the same meek tone he always used. He turned around and saw something rare. Deku was standing and glaring at him with eyes narrowed and fists clenched.

So the nerd thought he could look down at him just because of his shitty quirk.

"Stay the fuck down, Deku. That's where you belong." Red eyes glared back at green orbs with an underlying threat, but the latter didn't waver. Instead, the shorter of the two stepped forward.

"I'm going to U.A, Kacchan. There's nothing that can stop me now." He affirmed with a more controlled tone.

"Are you challenging me? Oh, that's just rich." Katsuki laughed and stepped forward too, but it was clear by his twitching eyebrow and flashing hands that he didn't find the other boy's courage humorous at all.

"I'm _not_ challenging you Kacchan, goddammit! Why do you even care if I want to be a hero or not? I'm not doing anything to affect you!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms wide open.

"I don't give a fuck about you, damn nerd! You're standing in my way and it pisses me off!" He screamed back.

"I'm not standing in your way. _You're_ the one who always pushes me down and tells me I can't do it. Even now, you're literally on my way, telling me what to do." He pointed at him accusingly.

"It's because _you keep looking down on me_!" Katsuki pulled him by the collar, slightly lifting him. Deku reacted on instinct, grabbing the blond's arm and squeezing. "Ever since we were kids, you always kept looking down on me with those stupid eyes of yours! even though you were the most useless, you always looked on as if you could do better than the best!" He finished by throwing Deku on the ground again.

His reveal momentarily shocked the other boy, leaving a silence in the classroom.

Katsuki gave him one last glare and walked off, kicking every desk on his way to the side.

"I… I never looked down on you." He said looking at the ground. "I _admired_ you. I always thought you were cool because of your strength, and I still do."

Katsuki scoffed and continued to walk. Yeah, right; If Deku respected him, he would act like all of the others and conform with his place on the world. But he didn't. It was clear if you looked in his eyes; Even when everyone said it was impossible, the damn nerd wanted to be strong too. Looking down on people as if he knew better. As if he could do better.

Katsuki left him in the classroom. Despite his efforts, it was clear that Deku intended to surpass him with that useless quirk. So he simply wasn't going to waste his time talking to the idiot. If doing it for ten years, while he was quirkless, didn't work, how could he change his mind in one year? Katsuki hated many things, but wasting his time was on the top, and Deku was a monumental waste of time. The solution was way more simple than talking to him.

He'd just wipe the floor with Deku before the exams even started.

* * *

 **Your relationship with Katsuki has been slightly repaired!**

 **You gain 100 XP!**

' _Could it really be considered repaired?'_ Izuku mused. He was on his way home after the talk with Kacch-Katsuki. He was making an effort to stop calling the blond boy with his old nickname, but old habits die hard.

Kac-His reaction had been unexpected. He'd believed that if he finally manifested a quirk, his ex-childhood friend would stop picking on him, but almost nothing changed. Except for Izuku's view on him.

He still respected Kac-Katsuki for his strength, but he longer admired him because of how he used it. He would no longer act as a stepping stone for others anymore.

Not to sound like a broken record, but Gamer's Mind was _useful_. He wouldn't be able to muster the confidence necessary to even talk with him without the skill.

Sighing, he crossed another street. Man, after gaining a quirk, he was having a lot of important revelations. He couldn't take a day to relax. Today, he and his mother would change his quirk registry, and only tomorrow he would be able to start his training. Yesterday he did nothing but spend time with his mother, which wasn't a bad thing but-

"Guh!"

"Ouch!"

He bumped into someone while muttering, sending all of the things the person was carrying to the ground.

Truly, old habits die hard.

* * *

Kyoka groaned and regained her balance. She glared at the person who bumped into her. Why couldn't some people just pay attention? Now all of her things were scattered. The person in front of her, a boy that looked her age, seemed to have a nervous breakdown, bowing repeatedly and shouting apologies.

"I'msosorryIdidn'tlseewhereIwasgoingohgoshIdroppedallofyourthingsI'msosorrymisscanyouforgiveme?" She was barely able to understand him talking thanks to her quirk.

Before she could respond to him, he dived to the ground and started grabbing her things. "Sorry for the freak out. Here, let me grab your stuff." He made his offer, sounding less like a nervous wreck. She could only stare at him. At least he recovered fast.

He rose with her box of LPs. She found them in one of her favorite music shops, that was closing off with one last sale. She wasn't able to resist the extremely low prices, and now had to walk all the way to her house with a huge cardboard box stuffed to the brim.

"Again, I'm really sorry. I wasn't really looking where I was going." The freckled boy said.

"I heard you the first time."

"Really?" He asked surprised. His eyes narrowed and he stared at her for a few seconds until he noticed the very obvious plugs in her earlobes.

"Wow. That's such a cool quirk!" She could swear there were stars in his eyes as he spoke. "Do they function as normal plugs? Are they the reason for why you bought so many discs?" He continued to ask rapid-fire questions, not giving her time to answer any of them. After a second he stopped and muttered something that sounded like 'observe'. His eyes darted from her head to a object that she couldn't see.

"Look, I would _love_ to stay here and tell you everything about my quirk to a random stranger," She started with sarcasm so thick she hoped it could cut through his lack of awareness. "Except I don't. Give me the box." She just wanted to get home and listen to her new collection, not stand here staring at this guy, who she really should stop calling 'this guy' or 'the boy'. Maybe broccoli head. Yeah, that was a good one.

"Oh." Broccoli head sounded better by the second.

"Yeah. _Oh."_

"Do you want me to carry it? I mean no offense, but this is pretty heavy." Broccoli Head offered. She groaned audibly.

"Look, I got nothing against you…"

"Midoriya."

"I got nothing against you, Midoriya, but I can handle it. Now just give me the box." She was starting to get annoyed at him.

"You look like you're about to fall over. And I don't think the bump has anything to do with it." The nosy teenager countered with a frown, but it was the truth. All of the trains that led to her home had passed, and so she walked with the giant box through entire neighborhoods.

"… Fine, do whatever you want." She gave in, sighing. There was no reason to get angry at Midoriya. He was just offering out of courtesy. Kyoka started to walk in the direction of her house and her company followed quickly.

"Okay!" He brightened, as if carrying a box though the town was a reward and not a chore. "Can I use my quirk on it? It'd make it easier."

"What are you gonna do with it?" She inquired with suspicion. There was no guessing on what would he do. What if his quirk damaged her things?

"I'm going to put it in a pocket dimension." She almost stopped walking.

"… A pocket dimension?"

"Yeah, pretty much-" A pause "… I guess it sounds a bit weird when I say it like that." He finished sheepishly. "I really _am_ getting used to my quirk, huh." He muttered after, but her quirk caught everything as if he whispered into her ear.

"…" Her hand rose to pinch the bridge of her nose. _'It's his quirk, Kyoka, so it sounds completely normal for him. Don't do it.'_

"Really? Silly me, here I thought pocket dimensions were common." She exclaimed in a fake surprised tone. _'You had one job.'_ Her mind chided her.

"… Still, can I do it?"

She sighed and nodded. This was going to be one long walk.

* * *

Would it be weird to start praising a part of your quirk religiously? A part of Izuku's mind wondered as he continued to walk. He was talking to a girl. _A girl!_ Maybe not right now, but they had talked earlier.

His mind was on a chaotic state. It was basically Gamer's Mind alone, valiantly fighting off the feeling of embarrassment that always came when interacting while interacting with the opposite sex. This embarrassment eventually always won, because apparently not even supernatural powers could make up for several years of not socializing with people of his age.

But Gamer's Mind activated again after a few seconds, giving him some seconds of feeling normal. He looked to his side once again, just to confirm this was real.

 **Jiro Kyoka**

 **[Condition]: No injuries; Physically exhausted.**

 **[Mood]: Bored**

 **[Quirk]: Earphone Jack**

 **She has plugs that hang from her earlobes. This grants her enhanced hearing and the ability to channel the sound of her heartbeat into them.**

 **{Specifics}**

Yep. It was a girl.

Contrary to the skeleton, there were no stats or HP on Jiro-san. He'd also disabled the function that showed history on the Settings. Knowing this kind of thing about random people would make him feel uncomfortable.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jiro-san's voice brought him back to reality.

"Y-Yes!" He answered way too quickly.

"Are you sure? you look way too red in the face. You're not overusing your quirk, are you?"

"I'm fine, really. Thanks for your concern." He was definitely not fine. Embarrassment was winning against the influence of Gamer's Mind.

"I'm not concerned about you. Who knows what might happen to my things if you fall over in quirk exhaustion out of some misplaced sense of chivalry." She rebutted him quickly, giving embarrassment the final push it needed. He scratched the back of his head, the red on his face increasing.

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

"No need to worry." The idea of making a shrine for Gamer's Mind gained more merit each second. "It doesn't work like that. It can only be overused by surpassing the weight limit."

"You need to stop doing that. It's creepy."

"Doing what?"

"One moment you're being a nervous wreck, next second you're normal again. It's really off-putting." She clarified.

Was that how the effects of Gamer's Mind looked to other people? If so, he needed to control his expressions more.

"S-Sorry. I'm just a bit embarrassed."

She gave him a confused look and opened her mouth to ask a question, but shook her head and continued to walk at the last second, leaving an awkward silence.

* * *

"So… why all these discs?" Midoriya asked. They had been walking for a few minutes by now.

"No reason. There was a big sale and I bought them." She answered, short and to the point, ending the conversation and restoring the silence.

"Miss…"

"Jiro Kyoka."

"How much time will it take to get to your house, Jiro-san? I kinda have an appointment later…"

"If you had one, then why did offer to help?" She asked flatly. Even so, she upped her pace discreetly. He flinched at her bluntness and looked away.

"… I don't know; It just seemed wrong to let you do it. The words came out of my mouth before I could think."

"That's stupid. You can't just go around saying things and offering your help without thinking about it first." She explained, hoping to put sense into this hopeless guy's head.

"Yeah, but I don't have a problem with being stupid if it helps someone."

Despite his nervous tendencies, he could be pretty stubborn, huh. The more you know.

"… I can respect that." She said sincerely. It took a strong will to ignore other people's opinions and do what you wanted.

That brought a lull to the conversation. As both of them continued to walk through Musutafu, they stumbled upon a very common scene. Two heroes were apprehending a criminal with the police force's assistance. She recognized the pros as Cementoss and Ectoplasm. Just the typical hero patrol.

Midoriya certainly didn't think the same, however. In the blink of an eye, there he was, asking for autographs.

Kyoka watched amused. The two costumed men shared her feeling, signing the green haired boy's notebook with grins on their faces. Midoriya took a picture with both of them, his own smile so large it reminded her of another top hero.

He came back red in the face, but the quirk on his lips hadn't diminished one bit. "Oh no, don't mind me. It's not like you're carrying all my stuff _and_ have an appointment later. You go, Mr. Hero Fanboy." Her smirk wasn't as big as his smile, but it had just as much mirth to match it.

"S-Sorry. But it's Ectoplasm _and_ Cementoss. I couldn't pass this opportunity up."

"Sure, sure." She waved his excuses off.

"Don't you like heroes, Jiro-san?"

"Who doesn't? In this day and age, they're pretty popular. I'm also planning to go into a hero school, so that helps too."

"Really? Me too! I want to try for the Heroics Department on U.A."

She looked at him. Pocket dimensions _was_ a crazy useful quirk, especially for a hero. But it was better suited for support. The U.A entrance exam was biased for combat quirks. She examined him. His face was really plain looking, and his constitution looked very frail.

But the look on his eyes when he spoke about being a hero cleared her worries. Kyoka had no doubts that she would find him on U.A two years from now.

"I'm also going to apply for U.A." She announced, cutting through his rambling. Midoriya beamed at her, looking in awe as if she had already graduated as a pro. She found this childish side of him to be weirdly endearing.

The subject of heroes seemed to liven up their interaction. The two teenagers talked about everything from favorite pros to other hobbies. Eventually, they arrived at the Jiro Household, and Midoriya used his quirk to bring back her box. She thanked him, and asked for his contact information so they could keep in contact.

His face erupted in a vibrant red, and that combined with his hair made him look like a human tomato.

"S-SurE!" His voice cracked at the end, but nonetheless he fished through his pockets and pulled out his phone. He watched, slack-jawed, as she added her own contact information inside of his phone.

"Here." She gave his phone back. He took it carefully, almost as though the device would explode at any moment. After seeing his social awkwardness, Kyoka logically concluded this was the first time a girl ever gave him a phone number.

"I-I'll see you later- I mean talk to- I-I mean-"

"I'll keep in contact. Bye, Midoriya." She grabbed the box and entered her house smirking, leaving the stuttering mess at her door.

* * *

 **You have unlocked Jiro Kyoka's Social Link! You and Jiro are now acquaintances.**

 **I'm so proud of you, Izuku. Only the second day and you already discovered your first route.**

 **You gained 100 EXP!**

… Was this real life? Or had everything since yesterday's morning been nothing but a dream? Izuku looked at his phone in a daze. There it was: A girl's number.

He pinched himself in the arm; Nothing changed. Nothing had changed when he did it yesterday too. This wasn't a reliable method. He needed more proof-

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

His breathing came back to normal; His posture relaxed and he pocketed his phone. This was just too much. Why couldn't he get a semblance of his old routine!?

 _16:11 PM_

Izuku sighed. There was no time to stop and keep thinking about it. As he said to Jiro-san, he had an appointment. Sending a quick message to his mother, he turned around walked in the direction of his home.

* * *

Overall, it was a pretty simple affair. He and his mother got into the government building, requested a change on the records, and now Midoriya Izuku officially had a quirk.

He decided to put it as Psionics. Most of his skills could be passed up as psychic skills, such as the energy blasts and the calmness of Gamer's Mind. He could use the excuse of a shield to justifie Gamer's Body, and the rest were skills that anyone could learn, like martial arts and first aid.

Currently, both Midoriyas were back home and Izuku was in his room, furiously scribbling on his notebook with his right hand, and making a map of Musutafu with his left hand. He had already finished homework, his training schedule for stats was complete, now he needed to pin down Instant Dungeons for gaining EXP. He was selecting spots away from most hero patrols, since IDs were supposed to be places where monsters appear.

Izuku opened his Menu.

 **Stats**

 **Skills**

 **Equipment**

 **Inventory**

 **Quests**

 **Instant Dungeons**

 **Social Links**

 **Settings**

 **Load Game**

 **Expansions**

 **Help**

The ID function was there now. The game probably hadn't showed to him before because of his inexperience. Who knows what might've happened if he went in without any previous explanation…

He opened the ID menu to check which ones were available to him.

 **{Create ID}**

 **{Escape ID}**

The second option was blurred out, but he could see enough to understand what it said. Izuku selected the only option he could. The screen shifted accordingly, showing different options.

 **[Training Grounds]**

 **[Kobold Lair]**

 **[Magical Forest]**

Just three, huh? He selected the first option to see what it did.

 **[Training Grounds] Lv.1: Time for a training montage! This spawns an empty plot of land filled with test dummies. It can be customized in real time by the player, so go nuts. Lasts for 4 hours. Cooldown: 20 hours**

 **{Create}**

' _This is getting ridiculous'_. And if the tutorial was to be believed, the IDs would get better as he leveled up. Could other people enter these spaces? If so, he could make lots of money by loaning them as a training facilities. He closed it and opened the other ID.

 **[Kobold Lair] Lv.1: A small cave filled with kobolds. Lasts for 2 hours. Cooldown: 120 hours.**

 **{Create}**

"Aren't twenty enemies a bit too much?"He asked to no one in particular.

 **[Magical Forest] : A forest with various types of vegetation and mystical creatures. Lasts indefinitely.**

 **{Create}**

He was entering a dilemma. Should he grind the current IDs until he found anything or unlocked new ones, or spend more time to find the more rewarding spaces?

To solve this situation, he brought up his stats screen. Intelligence helped in problem solving, right? He had a lot of points to spare, and his curiosity was at its peak. He touched the **INT** symbol.

 **INT: 41 { - / + }**

 **Stat Points: 60**

 **{Save}**

He increased it by nine, just to get an even number. After touching the save option, He went back to the menu.

 **Stats**

 **Skills**

 **Equipment**

 **Inventory**

 **Quests**

 **Instant Dungeons**

 **Social Links**

 **Settings**

 **Load Game**

 **Expansions**

 **Help**

He selected 'Expansions' and waited. The screen flashed and showed a typical display of an online game shop. Izuku mentally scrolled through the available ones.

 **[Perks and Traits Expansion]: This adds a whole new layer to your quirk! Every 5 levels, you gain a special skill to liven up your gameplay. {Download}**

 **[League of Legends Expansion]: The most played game in your world, now as part of your quirk! Adds items, IDs, NPCs and mobs from League of Legends. {Download}**

 **[RWBY Expansion]: A minor expansion. Adds Huntsmen weapons and Grimm. {Download}**

 **[Noble Phantasm Pack]: Adds new legendary weapons from the heroes of old. {Download}**

 **[Sacred Gear Pack]: Adds new artifacts handcrafted by deities. {Download}**

 **You can only use 3 of these expansions, so choose carefully. More will be available in the future, so be sure to not download everything at once!**

He instantly touched the first one. Items and IDs were pretty good, but he could find them whenever he wanted. New skills however, required expertise or specific methods. So free skills every five levels was the way to go.

 **Selecting this option will download the [Perks and Traits Expansion] to your quirk. Are you sure this is what you want?**

 **{Y/N}**

 **Downloading now… It will take 24 hours for the changes so set in.**

For the rest of the expansions, he would need to do his research. Izuku recognized two or three of them, but it was only superficial knowledge. Heroics was his big passion, not games.

After researching everything to its fine details, Izuku finished his map. Looking at the clock, he sighed; It looked like training would only start tomorrow.

 **You crafted a [Musutafu City Map]!**

 **By using certain tools and resources to create an item, you have unlocked a new skill!**

 **[Crafting] Lv.1(Passive): The skill to** **manufacture with skill and attention to detail. Allows creation of Common items.**

 **Now that you have a map, you can access the Map function in the Menu! Be sure to try it out.**

 **Stats**

 **Skills**

 **Equipment**

 **Inventory**

 **Maps**

 **Quests**

 **Instant Dungeons**

 **Social Links**

 **Settings**

 **Load Game**

 **Expansions**

 **Help**

Sure enough, there was a map option. When selected, it showed the layout of Musutafu within a screen. The points he marked were represented as bright red dots.

Izuku spent the rest of the day studying, managing to increase his **INT** by 2.

* * *

The next day was uneventful. Which was good, because Izuku needed time to process all of the changes that happened to his life. At school, things seemed… better? He wasn't really sure. Katsuki and his cronies stopped stopped harassing him, but the former kept sending glares that he would never be able to notice if it wasn't for Detect Bloodlust.

His other classmates had done a complete one-eighty; They treated him like an actual person now, instead of just following Katsuki's lead. Some of them even had invited him to hang out later!

He should be feeling good. Everything was going great in his life, so he should be smiling and accepting these offers. But he didn't.

Was it hate? Was it bitterness? Why did he refuse every offer his classmates made? Even with Gamer's Mind and increased intelligence, Izuku was struggling to find an answer. And it was killing him.

To forget the questions that plagued his mind, he put everything into his studies with the excuse of increasing his stats further. When he wasn't studying, he was increasing his luck. He couldn't really develop physical stats in class.

But after class was another story. Wearing his workout clothes, which was just a cyan tracksuit with his usual red shoes, he left his room and gave his mother a goodbye. Learning his lesson from before, he exited the apartment, going to the place that would serve as his main training spot.

* * *

The Dagobah Municipal Beach Park was located in a coastline at the south of Musutafu. It was once a famous public spot where mostly couples would walk, but rampant pollution destroyed the place. Nowadays, it was used to store all sorts of thing people threw off. A genuine junkyard just west of Tokyo.

But it was the perfect place for testing his quirk. No one actually visited it, they just got rid of their garbage and walked off in order to not be caught by the authorities. It would be very difficult to notice his abilities being used when he was deep within heaps and mountains of trash. He walked around the once beautiful beach, trying to find an spot with even grounding. After minutes of stepping over thrash, he found a place relatively clear.

" **Create ID** " Responding to his intent, his quirk activated and the space around him started to shift. Heaps or trash disappeared, turning into short hills and dummies in the vague shape of an human. Sand gave way to short grass. The view to the Pacific ocean shifted to an endless horizon. In a matter of seconds, Dagobah beach turned into a grassy plain. Such was the power of Illusion Barriers.

Izuku looked around the distorted space, and noted no imperfections. He literally manipulated space like it was a party trick, and was feeling no drawbacks. Eventually, he reached the barrier's limits and passed them. His view changed back, and the Training Grounds turned into Dagobah Beach once again. He turned around and saw the same view of when he first arrived.

He nodded to himself. An outsider wouldn't be able to see anything within this barrier. If they entered by accident or use of a space quirk, he'd just play it off as training his own quirk. He entered the Training Grounds again and grabbed his skill book. He had gotten it on the skeleton-filled ID, and was going to test if he could learn it.

 **This is a skill book for [Electric Aura]. Do you wish to learn this skill?**

 **{Y/N}**

He touched the 'Yes' button. He wasn't going to try and read the whole thing again.

This time, since he already had mana unlocked, there was no big change. The book disappeared and knowledge flowed into his head.

 **[Electric Aura] Lv.1(Active): Wraps your body in a layer of electricity that stimulates your nerves. This technique speeds up neural synapses reaction time, and pushes physical prowess to the absolute limit, allowing tremendous raw speed and power. Doubles STR and DEX, costs 20MP/min.**

Although it cost a lot of mana, several minutes with doubled speed and strength was nothing to scoff at. But he would only use it at the end of his training, due to the mentioned high cost.

However, before even training, he needed to create new skill. Most of the actives were for offense. He had to cover all of his bases. Attacking was all good, but a hero did more than beating up villains. Mana extended from his hand, forming into the vague shape of an rectangle. The shape twisted and shifted and turned into a perfect green war-door shield.

 **By manipulating of mana into a defensive way, you have unlocked a new skill!**

 **[Mana Shield] Lv.1(Active): Creates a shield made of raw mana. It has 5 armor and costs 20 MP.**

Izuku tried out various shapes. Round shields, bucklers, kite shields, oval, coffin,etc. The skill leveled up accordingly.

 **[Mana Shield] is now Lv.2!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.7!**

 **[Mana Shield] is now Lv.3!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.8!**

 **[Mana Shield] is now Lv.4!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.9!**

 **[Mana Shield] is now Lv.5!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.10!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.11!**

 **[Mana Shield] is now Lv.6!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.12!**

For some reason, this skill grew way faster than his other ones. Now he was going to try the reinforcement technique his first skill book talked about.

He released more mana than ever before. spirit energy exited his nerves and flowed through his entire body. Bones hardened, muscles strengthened and his skin toughened.

 **You have developed a new skill!**

 **[Reinforcement] Lv.1(Active): boosts the body's structure with spiritual energy. Raises STR and DEX by 5, for 5 minutes. Costs 40 MP.**

He got into a basic stance and threw a quick jab. His body was moving easier, and every single movement seemed infinitely smoother. With quick start, he sprinted up to a dummy, jumped over it and delivered a kick to its head. The thing went into the ground in record time.

He looked at it. Surprisingly, it wasn't the cliche sack with sticks for arms. It was more akin to a beige colored, semi-realistic mannequin, with its arms spread wide and legs squared up. He Observed it.

 **Training Dummy**

 **Lv.1**

 **A human shaped dummy created by yourself.**

 **Armor: 9999/9999**

 **[Unbreakable]: This object cannot be destroyed.**

 **{Change}**

Now that he had attack offense and defense, he needed mobility. If only he had more mana… He'd used it all up making consecutive shields and the little he had left was used unlocking Reinforcement.

Well, no use in standing around doing nothing. He started stretching his body, but after a few seconds realized it was useless. He had the body of a video gamer character, there was no need for the usual procedures. So he laid on the ground and started doing sit-ups.

* * *

Izuku was on the grass, still exercising and waiting for his mana to regenerate. At some point, his martial arts skill stopped leveling up, so he was doing good old fashioned physical training. Around him, there was some piles of trash he used as lifting weights.

 **Your training is paying off! +1 STR!**

He finished the repetition and unlocked his phone to see the time.

 _17:06 PM_

Okay, so according to his calculations, his mana should be full by now. He _could_ have used meditation to regenerate faster, but he'd preferred to advance his stats instead of spending time idle. Before creating more skills he looked at his status page to check out his growth and confirm his math.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Izuku Midoriya**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 7(76.71%) [Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: 4000 yen {Specifics}**

 **STR: 24**

 **DEX: 28**

 **VIT: 28**

 **WIS: 44**

 **INT: 55**

 **CHA: 27**

 **LCK: 30**

 **Stat Points: 51**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 164/164 MP: 220/220**

Overall, it was pretty good. Satisfied, he turned around and lined up to a dummy.

He bent his legs slightly and prepared to dash once again. At the last moment before moving, he expelled mana through his legs, increasing the speed and distance of the stride. In less than three seconds, he was in front of his target.

But instead of attacking it, he did the same thing from before and expelled mana from his inferior members, leaping 10 meters into the air.

"Whoa!" The view only birds and gigantification quirk users had daily was incredible. Even if it was an artificially created space, the green plains and blue sky let him mesmerized. Izuku was slowly descending and enjoying the view. But he couldn't stay like this for too long. So he moved mid-air and prepared to strike the dummy again.

Unfortunately, he wasn't used to jumping this high. He flailed awkwardly in the air before unceremoniously crashing into the grass. So much for looking cool.

 **You have created a new skill!**

 **[Mana Rush] Lv.1(Active): Releases mana from the inferior members, causing a burst of speed. Costs 12 MP.**

He used the skill twice, meaning he still had 196 mana points. More than enough to test out the Electric Aura. He had saved it for last, and was itching with curiosity on how much of an upgrade it would give him. Already up, he used his recently found knowledge to transform part of mana into electricity.

 **[Electric Aura] Activated!**

Something sparked inside of him. His nerves accelerated and his body did the same, making everything around him look slower. The blue glow of electricity started to surround the outside of his body, forming a barrier. His hair spiked up due to the negative charges. He picked up a brick from the ground and it felt lighter than a small pebble. Tossing it up in the air, he watched awestruck as the thing fell in slow motion. He was experiencing the kind of thing he only saw in movies.

But it was time to stop fooling around. This skill could only be kept for eight more minutes, and he had to make the most of them.

Izuku turned around. The electricity around him hummed as he took a running position. The third test dummy of the day was ten meters away from him. In normal conditions, he would reach it in 5 or 6 seconds.

But there was nothing normal about him right now.

He shot out at incredible speeds, leaving a crater at his starting position, and went through nine meters in one single second. Taking another step which left made the grass disappear in a burst, he reached his target in the fraction of another second and brought his arm back for a punch.

He stomped forward with waist and shoulders rotating in unison and delivered a vicious haymaker.

 _Boom!_

The dummy was sent flying in a incredible burst of electric and kinetic strength, but to him, it was still moving in slow motion. He jumped higher than ever before, almost reaching the outside of the barrier, and rotated his body mid-air to face the ground. Bending his legs and channeling more electricity to them, he kicked off.

In a whoosh, Izuku descended like a meteor. He flipped forward to increase momentum, then lifted his leg as high as he could. Reaching his target, he executed a perfect axe kick.

His feet connected with its chest with a crack, sending dust and grass everywhere. But the thing stayed intact due to its unbreakable status. The same couldn't be said for the ground; The grass had disappeared, leaving a ground full with cracks.

 **[Electric Aura] Deactivated.**

The humming stopped, the electricity dispersed in a show of sparks and his body turned back what it was. But the giant grin he had since the start stayed there. He opened his stats and saw that he still had around 150 mana left. Channeling more mana into his hands he approached another dummy.

The knowledge on how to use that technique was linked with how to transform mana into electricity. That meant an upgrade from basic arrows and blasts.

His hands sparked, the green energy around them transforming into electricity once again. Putting a palm forward, he tried to shoot it like he did with mana blast. The results weren't good; Electricity was extremely hard to manipulate. Bolts of energy shot out haphazardly, shocking the dummies and burning the grass. His hands fizzled out, the transformed energy completely vanishing.

 **You created a new skill!**

 **[Discharge] (Active): Releases a burst of electricity from your body. Damage varies on mana spent. Base cost: 10 MP.**

No matter how much he tried to control it, he only ended up using Discharge. Eventually, he stopped to think about what he was doing wrong.

' _The reason I can use Electric Aura without difficulty is because I'm releasing a moderate charge so that my body can handle it. The energy that surrounds me is the leftovers that escape. This technique is turning the flow of mana into electricity. Which means it's moving naturally, but in a different form. When I try to control it instead of letting it move naturally, it just bursts out. That means the problem is my lack of control. Mana Manipulation is at level 12, but how many levels exist? I have to increase my control, or I won't be able to execute more complex attacks.'_

 **For realizing your shortcomings and working towards correcting them, you gain 1 WIS!**

This notification was pretty useful. It basically served as a confirmation that he was right, _and_ gave him more stats. Dismissing it with a wave of his hand, he channeled mana into his hands again. This would take a while.

* * *

 _2 hours later…_

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.52!**

It was ridiculous how much his quirk interfered on his growth rate. Izuku was sure anyone else would have to spend months to get to his level of fine control. He could now change the trajectory of his attacks and make them explode, creating Mana Bombs. It was also possible to create very small tendrils of mana called Mana Strings. And most importantly, he could control electricity naturally, but only the electricity produced by himself.

He wanted to train more, but it wasgetting late and he promised mom he'd come in time for dinner. At least he would get that tiny bit of practice while exiting the beach.

Minutes later, random passersby disposing of their thrash would sight a green-haired boy throwing bolts of electricity at the sand. They did the wise thing and stayed the hell out of his way.

* * *

 _The next day…_

Izuku was meditating in the beach. It was around 17:00 PM and the portal to the Kobold Lair was opened in front of him. His mana was almost full, but that wasn't the reason for his current activity.

He was stalling. Izuku knew he was wasting time, but did nothing to stop it. He'd been doing it for an hour; He had come to beach fully intending to open an ID to fight some monsters. But he hesitated and started training, using the flimsy excuse of not being strong enough.

Still now, Izuku was hesitating. Hesitating on opening an ID with monsters inside. Hesitating because of what might happen if he entered.

Hesitating on killing.

In his eyes, the skeletons and zombies from the first ID didn't count, as they were already dead. So he didn't have any semblance of hesitation when striking these creatures. Plus, even if himself didn't know it, he was in a power high after unlocking his mana and so had been hasty, entering the portal without thinking.

But to make the conscious decision of opening a portal and kill creatures that had nothing to do with him, was something he found disturbing. He had no problem in building a hero career on his own blood, sweat and many, many tears, but to carve a path on top of others' lives… That was what a villain did. And Izuku wanted to be the opposite of one.

Kobold Lair was out of the question. It was simply a cave filled with creatures for him to defeat. Even if he entered searching for items, there were too many unknown factors to try. The portal responded to his mental command and dissipated in a quick swirling motion.

He needed to find a good method to gain experience. Maybe creating quests would do the job.

However… He could still try entering Magical Forest. It should be bigger than a cave and thus easier to hide from conflict. Based on yesterday's research, kobolds could be two things: A race of lesser lizardmen, or a bunch fairies. Both of these probably didn't possess anything of value. But in a _Magical_ Forest, he could find items that were literally out of this world. Solution found, he stopped his muttering with two words.

And if his conclusion was flawed, he could simply leave while he could. The portals could be closed by his will, after all.

' _Don't be blindly optimistic. What if you find enemies right after entering?'_ A part of him asked.

He could outspeed them.

' _What if they surround you?'_

Overpower them.

' _What if they can use magic?'_

" **Create ID** "

Izuku sighed. He really should stop thinking about what ifs. He opened his eyes and looked at his Status. With his spirit energy replenished, he got up and walked towards the portal.

* * *

His head was invaded with foreign sensations. His nose caught the smell of wet dirt, while the pure air of a forest entered his lungs. The chirping of birds registered in his ears and he accessed his surroundings. As expected of its namesake, the place was full of very large trees that were at least forty feet tall. The ground was a rich brown covered with glistening grass, signifying it rained some time ago. Behind him, the portal twisted and shrunk on itself, disappearing in seconds.

Overall, Magical Forest didn't looked very magical at first glance. But that was a problem that could be solved by exploring.

 **[Sense Danger] Activated!**

Izuku's head snapped to the left, but his body moved far faster than his mind could. Driven by pure instinct, he used Mana Rush and leapt to his right. Right after he did, a limbless mass full of scales hit the spot he occupied.

 _Hiss!_

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

A snake, and a giant one at that. By his estimations, it looked at least thirty feet long. Its scales were cream colored with brown patterns, and its slitted pupils were glaring at him.

 **Giant Constrictor Lv.14**

 **STR: 40**

 **DEX: 60**

 **VIT: 30**

 **INT: 3**

 **WIS: 5**

 **CHA: 1**

 **LCK: 1**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 194/194 MP: 9/9**

 **{Specifics}**

' _Well shit.'_ Was all he could think before his enemy advanced. He rolled away, but the distance he put was not enough. After landing, the critter leapt at him again with fangs bared.

 **[Fighting Spirit] Activated!**

' _This won't take me anywhere.'_ He used Mana Rush to jump up, avoiding death at the last second. While in the air, he pointed both hands downward and channeled mana onto them.

Before the snake could pounce, various arrows made of electricity quickly rained down in its direction. Taking full advantage of its limber body, the giant critter swerved and twisted in ways only its species could manage. None of the attacks connected and Izuku was now descending right in front of it.

With the tides of battle turned, it bounded upwards ready to execute the green haired boy. The latter was too late on his reaction, and as such received the full force of a tackle. The snake wasted no time and sank its fangs on his shoulder, making him let out a pained scream. The rest of its body coiled around him, muffling his cries. They were twisting on the air when it finally finished wrapping itself around him.

Then it squeezed.

 _Snap!_

His screams became more desperate than before. Its scaly body was coiling tighter and tighter, rapidly draining his HP. Agony unlike anything he ever experienced before rushed through his nerves, but his mind stayed calm. Both bodies fell on the ground, and as he couldn't speak, he screamed within his mind.

' _ **Reinforcement!**_ _'_

The thick scales met resistance from his hardened skin. The snake simply pressed even tighter, moving its head towards the top of Izuku's own. Before it could even open its mouth, the boy let out another mental cry.

' _ **DISCHARGE!**_ _'_

Blue rays of light exploded from his body, electrocuting the reptile. It let out a anguished noise from its throat, releasing the hold it had on him. Now free and still releasing electricity, Izuku put a hand right under the thing's head and fired a mana blast at point blank.

The head was pushed back, and the body went along with it.

Still on the ground, he pointed his right hand at the snake. A Mana Arrow came out, but completely missed its mark, hitting the bark of a random tree.

His hand was shaking.

The snake let out a disoriented hiss, lifting itself up slowly. Alarmed, he quickly gripped his wrist with his other hand, steadying his aim. His green eyes glared at slitted pupils one last time as he shot another arrow from the tip of his finger.

 **[Fighting Spirit] is now Lv.2!**

 **Critical Hit!**

The attack penetrated the reptile's head and stopped halfway into the brain. Losing life, the body fell on the wet dirt; Before Izuku could calm down however, it twitched. The tail swung back and forth, brushing on the base of a tree.

 **You gained 450 EXP.**

 **You leveled up!**

Izuku let out a deep breath, relaxing his tensed muscles. It was dead. Cold-blooded animals could move after dying for up to an hour due to their special metabolism.

' _So much for not killing anything.'_ He thought bitterly, wiping sweat from his face. According to Observe, it was a constrictor snake, so he probably wasn't poisoned. But this was also a magical forest, and so he checked his Status to make absolutely sure.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Izuku Midoriya**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 8(33.25%) [Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: 4000 yen {Specifics}**

 **STR: 50(+25)**

 **DEX: 53(+25)**

 **VIT: 32**

 **WIS: 45**

 **INT: 56**

 **CHA: 27**

 **LCK: 35**

 **Stat Points: 61**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 138/185 MP: 22/224**

He gave out a relieved sigh and collapsed on the ground. He knew no plan survived contact with the enemy, but this was too soon!

Eventually, he got up. The wish to stay on the comfortable grass and unwind was strong, but this was a place full of unknowns. Who knows what other creatures could smell the dead body. And if anything came by the scent of blood or the sounds he definitely made, they would find him pratically out of mana.

"Ugh..." He groaned while looking at the sky, as if cursing some entity for putting him in this situation.

 **[Sense Danger] Activated!**

 **[Sense Danger] is now Lv.7!**

And like a punishment from said entity, he heard the sound of bushes rustling and approaching steps. he used Mana Rush and dashed onto some foliage. Ducking low enough to not be seen, he steadied his breathing and waited.

 **[Sneak] Activated.**

People wearing leather garments came from the trees. All three had bandages wrapped around their arms and scars littered in their faces, which were in collective expressions of frustration. The one in the front had tanned skin, short brown hair and was the only one wearing a breastplate, while the other two were sporting vests. He was hacking away at obstructing bushes with a machete while the other two stepped through from behind.

 **[Sneak] is now Lv.5!**

"What the hell is that?" The one in the front said, pointing at dead snake with his machete.

"That's a giant snake, you dumbass. The critters in this forest are like this." The taller of them, which Izuku assumed to be the leader, said. "Now let's go, dammit! Those freaks will catch up if we just stand here!" He screamed, ending with a harsh cough. The others nodded and the three resumed their walk with a brisker pace.

Izuku sighed and leaned back. Crisis averted.

" _Those freaks will catch up"_

… Or not. What was he talking about. Was the group being chased by something? What if whatever was pursuing them stumbled here?

Should he stay and see or get out in case they were enemies? The answer came in less than a second: He was out of mana, leveled up and alive. Izuku was going to put this first trip as a win on his book and get the hell out.

 **[Sense Danger] Activated!**

"Dasost!" A scratchy voice screamed as people with mutation quirks bursted from the forest. There were at least twenty of them, all with had the appearance of lizards, with green scales for skin, large claws holding spears and clubs and clothing taken straight from the stone age. Izuku observed the one closest to him.

 **Lizardman Warrior Lv.16**

 **STR: 38**

 **DEX: 34**

 **VIT: 34**

 **INT: 20**

 **WIS: 20**

 **CHA: 12**

 **LCK: 12**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 208/208 MP: 80/80**

Lizardman? Did that mean their appearances weren't influenced by a quirk? Were these people actually evolved lizards? Was that the reason for their primitive cloth-

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

 _'This isn't the time to think about their goddamn clothing!'_. He had to see what these 'lizardmen' were up to.

"Pok!" A lizardman in the front said, catching the other's attention. He stood out from the rest with his larger frame and the multitude of weapons he was carrying with him. Izuku could spot a sword and two daggers, along with the spear and shield he was wielding.

 **Lizardman Captain Lv.25**

 **STR: 60**

 **DEX: 40**

 **VIT: 50**

 **INT: 25**

 **WIS: 38**

 **CHA: 30**

 **LCK: 18**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 310/310 MP: 100/100**

The squad of lizardmen continued to march forward with weapons at hand, all of them towards... to where the people from earlier exited.

They stopped after a blast of electricity took out one of the warriors.

 **Critical Hit!**

As if they'd agreed to do so, every single one of them turned their head around at the same time and saw a frowning Izuku with his hand outstretched.

The people from eariler were trying to escape, and they had very visible injuries. These lizardmen were obviously the culprits, and if the weapons and war cries were any indication, they planned to kill them or at least cause more harm.

Izuku only planned to buy some time. There was no way he could beat twenty enemies while out of mana.

 **Quest Created: Hero Wannabe**

 **A lizardmen tribe is pursuing some bandits who tried to steal from them, and your moral compass is stopping you from letting violence happen.**

 **Objectives:**

 **P** **revent any Lizardman from causing harm to the burglars.**

 **Rewards:**

 **2000 EXP**

 **x1 Leather Armor**

Izuku didn't dare to break eye contact with the lizardmen. He kept staring them down instead of moving, trying to delay the fight so his mana could regenerate.

 **[Sense Danger] Activated!**

However, the downside of delaying was that you also gave your opponent time.

Four spears flew through the air, all falling down on his direction and ready to end his life. Distantly, he could see most of the warriors running towards him.

 **[Fighting Spirit] Activated!**

With no time to dodge and enemies approaching, he improvised. Swiping his hand horizontally, Izuku drew the rusty sword he had obtained in his first ID. His reinforced body easily kept up with the projectiles as he deflected them one by one.

 **You unlocked a new skill!**

 **[Sword Mastery] Lv.1(Passive): There's lots of jokes to be made about using a sword in the modern age. But who the hell cares, they're cool! This skill increases your damage and proficiency with swords.**

While it would be nice, the lizardmen didn't give him the chance to read anything. They relentlessly threw more spears, which were promptly dodged or blocked, and after running out of them, they took out their wooden clubs and advanced upon him.

Izuku dodged a downward strike, his sword already back on inventory, and took aim. Then immediately rolled away from a sharp claw.

 **Your movements are becoming more fluid! +1 DEX**

He dodged and twisted his body around the lizardmen's attacks, but couldn't retaliate. Every time he tried, another one of them came and tried to strike him down. Fighting a lot of enemies at once was becoming too much for him.

He rose quickly, leaned right to avoid a blow and tripped a lizardman, who went down. Aiming once again, he prepared to shoot a blast-

Only to get nailed right in the cheek by a sweeping attack. His neck snapped down as he lost balance.

 **Critical Hit!**

 **-110 HP**

His head throbbed and his vision blurred, but he could still see to some extent. Putting up a hasty, sloppy guard, he reinforced himself and tried to take the brunt of the next attack.

 **-22 HP**

He stumbled a bit from the impact, but stayed on his feet. The lizardman he tripped was already on its feet, and he could scarcely hear two others running at him.

 **You have unlocked a new skill!**

 **[Adrenaline Rush] Lv. MAX** **(Passive)** **: You're body is doing everything it can to keep you alive. This skill triggers when you're below 30% HP, instantly giving you 40% of your maximum MP back, along with 45% Damage Reduction, 60% STR and 40% DEX.**

 **[Adrenaline Rush] Activated!**

The feeling of part of his mana coming back was everything he needed to turn this around.

 **[Electric Aura] Activated!**

Turning into a blue blur, he tackled a lizardman, bringing him to the dirt. Not wasting time, he immediately leapt to another one and threw a devastating straight to his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. His instincts flared and he leaned to the left, narrowly avoiding the downward strike of a club and lashing out with his leg as a counter. His limb slammed into another creature's midsection, sending his enemie a few inches away and giving him some breathing room.

The captain snarled and drew his sword. Izuku reacted quickly and moved to intercept him. The bigger lizardman was putting Izuku on the defensive with the bigger reach of his weapons, but the green haired boy was able to dodge every slash with his increased speed.

He hopped to the side, barely moving out of the way of a stray spear, but stumbled back after being hit by another one. The lizardman who threw it went towards him and swiped with his claw. He ducked around the attack, stepped beyond his guard and grabbed him. Before he could react, Izuku elbowed him in the gut and threw him over his shoulder.

 **[Fighting Spirit] is now Lv.3!**

The captain kicked the body out of his way and stepped back into a stance. By now, all of the lizardmen who weren't knocked out were surrounding him with weapons at hand. Before he could do anything, the captain pointed his club at him let out a scream

"IOWD!"

After the battle cry, all of them charged at the green haired boy, who stepped up to the leader. He used a Power Strike to break his sword and blocked a counter with his forearm. They traded blows but Izuku was clearly pushing him back while brushing off the other's attacks, thanks to the bonuses of his Adrenaline Rush.

The warriors surrounding him grabbed their spears in unison and charged with a coordinated attacked, intenting to kill him through sheer numbers.

Right before the spears pierced his guts, he discharged, electrocuting all of them. While they were stunned by the attack, he acted.

" **Power Strike!** " His enhanced fist smashed into the captain's stomach, making him spit blood and fly off. He turned to the still dazed enemies with mana flowing in his hands, and released his new technique.

" **Mana Bomb!** " A single sphere of energy left from his hand. Moving rapidly, it rotated and grew bigger, finishing by exploding in the center of the reptilian men.

They were sent back by the explosion at high speeds, crashing down one second later.

 **[Electric Aura] Deactivated.**

Izuku exhaled, sagging his shoulders and lowering his arm.

 **You gained 6375 EXP.**

 **You leveled up!**

 **You leveled up!**

 **You leveled up!**

 **You leveled up!**

 **Quest Completed: Hero Wannabe**

 **You gained 2000 EXP.**

 **You gained x1 Leather Armor.**

 **You leveled up!**

He growled and ripped out a spear from his shoulder. There wasn't too much blood covering him thanks to Gamer's Body, but the wounds throbbed and hurt just the same.

 **Quest Completed! Guardian of Musutafu**

 **You gained 800 EXP.**

 **You gained x1 Leather Armor.**

 **You leveled up!**

 **Congrats Izuku, you reached Lv.10! The difficulty is no longer set on tutorial mode. Also, you get your first perk.**

 **[Perks] act as-**

He closed the notification and looked around him. He could just see everything later on the menu, after all. After observing around, he found out none of the lizardmen were dead, merely unconscious.

 **[Unconscious]: This creature isn't aware of its surroundings and can't do anything.**

He looked at the captain's face. Honestly, these... creatures were extremely confusing. Were they lizards with human features or humans with lizard characteristics?

While he wondered about the lizardmen His reward materialized itself in front of him. It was a simple black, leather chest piece that covered the torso and shoulders. If he still had energy, maybe he'd examine the thing in more detail, but in his current state it just went to the inventory without a second glance.

"... **Escape ID**."

The top part of his tracksuit was completely shredded, and he didn't want needlessly worry his mother, so he also withdrew some spare clothes. After changing, he started to numbly walk with the feeling that he was on the edge of gaining an Exhausted status effect again.

Overall, it was an adequate result. The only thing he killed was a critter in self-defense, which really said how badly he was secretly expecting the whole thing would go. There was one big problem though; His performance.

He couldn't keep fighting like he did. It took being on the verge of death for him to turn around the fight. One might say there were a lot of enemies, but they had the ingenuity of cavemen. All his enemies did was swing around their weapons and scream for his death. What would happen when he found smarter enemies on the other IDs?

The problem lied on his fighting style. Most of his mana attacks required a cast time and a good aim, so when he was overwhelmed, he hadn't been able to shoot once. On close combat, he was worse. His martial arts skills consisted of a mix of various moves he'd seen heroes perform.

He needed to think about how to solve this. Training raw stats was good, but power alone didn't make a good fighter. Izuku grabbed his phone from the inventory.

 _17:34 PM_

If he hadn't spent so much time stalling, maybe he would be able to meditate and enter the ID again. As it was right now, he still had some time to kill before going back, but not enough for more exploring.

' _The first skill book said that Mana Manipulation was the basis to learn magic, not magic itself. But where can I find a book that'll teach it to me?_ ' That was something to look into. Fortunately, he had some time to spare.

* * *

 **This is a skill book for [Crafting]. Do you wish to learn this skill?**

 **{Y/N}**

Izuku selected 'No' and put the book on a basket. Sighing, he went back to searching. Right now, he was in an old bookstore due to his low budget, looking for books with useful skills. Until now, the best he found was a book on sewing and a series on mechanical engineering.

The idea of consuming them right now passed through his mind once, but was mercilessly crushed right after. He wasn't above the law just because of his quirk. So he paid for the books, stored them and exited the store. It cost all of his allowance, but it was all worth it. Now he would be able to actually craft items, while utilizing materials from the beach.

After arriving home and 'reading' the books, instead of getting new skills, the level of Crafting just went up.

 **[Crafting] is now Lv.7!**

 **[Crafting] is now Lv.12!**

 **[Crafting] is now Lv.15!**

After 'reading', opened the menu and found the perk section right between skill and equipment.

 **I can't believe you cut me off like that Izuku. I thought we were friends! But like the forgiving interface that I am, I'll still let you informed.**

 **Since you're Lv.10 The difficulty of the game is no longer set on tutorial difficulty. This means enemies aren't dumb and quests are harder but more rewarding.**

 **Now, to your perks.**

 **[Perks] act bonuses on your already existing skills and stats. You can unlock a new one every 5 levels, and the selection you're offered is based on your stats and skills. So if you focus on STR, you will gain STR related perks. Same thing for focusing on sneak. Since you're already at Lv.10, you get to choose 2.**

 **P.S: The perks you didn't choose will be available at later levels.**

 **[Healing Factor]: No need for traditional medicine! This perk increases your HP regeneration by 100%.**

 **[Educated]: This perk will add 5 extra stat points when you gain a new level.**

 **[Swift Learner]: You are indeed a Swift Learner with this Perk, as it gives you an additional 50% bonus to all of your EXP gains.**

 **[Strong Back]: What are you, part pack mule? Grants 120 lbs. as additional carry weight on your inventory.**

 **[Smooth Talker]: You learned to make a convincing argument without understanding what the hell you're talking about. This will increase your INT by 30%, for purposes of dialogue only.**

 **[Toughness]: If nothing else, you can take a beating! Your base Damage Resistance changes to 40%.**

 **[Iron Fist]: SMASH! Punching attacks do 100% more damage.**

 **[Night Vision]: The ability to see in low-light conditions by biological means. This modifies your eyes to see better under low light levels.**

He picked Swift Learner and closing the perk menu. Educated and Thoughness were also good, but Night Vision had more utility. In the end, he didn't sweat it and started researching something else. It's not he would lose anything by delaying his decision.

He turned his attention to the computer. Izuku was looking for martial arts schools to develop his hand-to-hand expertise. Most of his current skills were for long range, and his own expertise was severely lacking. Like with magic, he didn't know how many levels the skill had. There were countless styles, after all.

Contrary to what one would believe, martial arts hadn't died out on a society with powers. In fact, with heroes needing to be better and better in combat, dojos were everywhere. Most people who trained in them were emitters and transformation users, but the best places could even help people with mutation quirks to develop their own style.

He found lots of places within Musutafu, but couldn't enter none of them. He and his mother lived comfortably, but that didn't mean they were able to afford the monthly payment required by the dojos in Musutafu. Fortunately, with modern Japan's train system, the place did not need to be restricted.

A few minutes later, he decided to check out a dojo on Chiba prefecture that taught mixed martial arts and was within his budget. Decision made, Izuku spent the rest of his day catching up on assignments to recover from the madness that had invaded his life. But despite the smaller part of him complaining about it, the bigger part was looking forward for the next days.

* * *

 **(AN): Damn, this took longer than expected. I changed a lot of parts because I wasn't satisfied, so it ended up only coming now.**

 **I'm honestly conflicted on this chapter. Part of me thinks it's good, but the more critical side of me thinks it's trash. I'll wait for your reviews to know. Update(22/07/18): Most of you guys liked, so I'm glad.**

 **Give me suggestions for more expansions and/or perks. PM me or review so I can see your ideas. It's something that won't be too breaking on the story, so I think there's no harm done by asking.**

 **Don't read too much on the Jiro scene. I put her in because I thought it'd be more interesting than Izuku bumping into some random person. She also lives close to Musutafu, so I chose her. FYI, The other option was Tokoyami. I tried to make her not too OOC, so tell me if I messed up.**

 **About Bakugo: His relationship with Izuku is still a clusterfuck, but 5% better than before. He still hates his guts, but won't bully him anymore because he has a quirk. In Bakugo's eyes, he just evolved from Deku to another secondary character.**

 **Update(07/07/18): I changed the level you need to gain perks. Now it's every five levels. I ran some math through my head and decided it was better this way.**


	4. Announcement

**Hey people. Sorry for this. I myself hate it when stories seem to post a new chapter, but it was just an announcement all along. But I need to do this, so here we go.**

 **Chapters 2 and 3 were rewritten. This is a warning, because if someone read the outdated versions and then reads future chapters, they would be confused. So yeah.**

 **On the topic of future chapters, This story isn't dead! I just had a major case of writer's block, which is why the rewrite happened. The plot I was working on just wasn't going to work. But now, I can write chapter 4 without delay. After my big "hiatus", I have gained a lot of respect for writers who can constantly post new chapters. Writing is hard, even more when I am filthy perfectionist about everything.**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed on chapter 3. I was honestly insecure about that one, but most of you enjoyed it. I'm really glad.**

 **Here's a character page, just because I felt like it.**

 **[True Name]: Midoriya Izuku**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 13(02.88%)**

 **[Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: 500 yen {Specifics}**

 **STR: 25**

 **DEX: 29**

 **VIT: 32**

 **WIS: 45**

 **INT: 56**

 **CHA: 27**

 **LCK: 34**

 **Stat Points: 111**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 185 MP: 224**


	5. Time Takes Its Course

**(AN): Hey people, it's me! After defeating the mighty beast known as Writer's Block, I was able to cook up this chapter in one week. The next chapter won't come too soon, because I'm still fine tuning the script.**

 **While writing, I noticed something really great. There's a lot of Gamer fanfics popping up on the MHA section. I originally started to twrite this because there were only like, 7 of them, but now there's at least twenty! That's super cool.**

 **Some of you gave me some really great feedback and suggestions. I really appreciate it; I'm pretty unsure when I write this story, since it's my first one, but when you guys review saying the chapter was good, I gain a burst of energy.**

 **Now, to answer a review.**

 **To Yupping-One: If Izuku deletes an expansion, then all of the content that's part of the expansion disappears with it. So he can't cheat for items.**

 **If you have any questions or suggestions to improve the story, review it or send me a PM. I always try to answer everything, so go wild.**

* * *

 _Three weeks later..._

"Start!"

Izuku's body moved in a instant as he lashed out with a diagonal chop aimed at his opponent's neck. The bald young man wearing a simple gi grabbed his wrist and intercepted his attack. Izuku forced his hand away and elbowed his opponent's shoulder, pushing him away. He then stepped forward and chopped at his forehead, but his sparring partner leaned out of the way and locked his forearm.

He then kneeneeld his stomach, making the green haired boy lurch forward with a gasp, and finished Izuku off with a elbow to his spine.

"I yield." The younger of the two said. His opponent and senior, Sahashi, released his arm, lifted him up and went back into a stance.

They continued to spar for half an hour until their supervisor called them out.

"That's enough sparring, Sahashi, Midoriya." He said nodding to both of them. "Go practice your kata one more time and after that you're free to go."

They both nodded and bowed out. The supervisor left the room. The two young men practiced their movements for the last time in the day and then started to put away all of equipment in silence, until the older of them spoke.

"Man, I can't believe how much you got better with just two weeks, Midoriya. When you got here you could barely block a punch, and now look at you! I lost two times out of five!

"Thanks, Sahashi-senpai. Sensei also said I'm getting better." Izuku sheepishly replied.

"Getting better, he says." Sahashi repeated incredulously. "Give yourself some credit. At this rate, you'll probably be a master when the year ends."

Izuku just chuckled. If his quirk was removed from the equation, he could be considered a prodigy. But with the enhanced growth it provided, with just six lessons he was better than people who trained for months.

After coaxing his mother, Izuku had joined the martial arts school he wanted. At the moment, he was on an intermediary level, but he was planning to focus more in this skill during winter break. He opened the menu and looked at its current level.

 **[Martial Arts Mastery] Lv.14(Passive): Increases your proficiency with various fighting styles and gives your melee attacks 2.8% extra damage.**

It was odd that it didn't level up quickly like the rest, but it just served to show how far he was from being a master.

Sahashi's phone buzzed. He picked it up and muttered some curses. "Hey, Midoriya. It looks like one of the newbies got hurt trying to show off. I'm going to help, so can you finish this without me?"

"Sure."

"Great! Don't forget to store everything up!" He said, already running out, his voice echoing through the walls.

 **Your hard work is paying off! +1 STR**

He sighed and closed the locker. After a day of hard work, he just wanted to get home and relax for a bit. He shifted to his stats page and checked his progress.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Midoriya Izuku**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 13(86.61%)**

 **[Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: ¥12600 {Specifics}**

 **STR: 32**

 **DEX: 34**

 **VIT: 44**

 **WIS: 58**

 **INT: 75**

 **CHA: 35**

 **LCK: 58**

 **Stat Points: 111**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 210.8/236 MP: 300/300**

He smiled at the blue screen. Having his efforts translated into numbers gave him a good idea on how far he'd come.

He left around 17:00 PM and aimlessly walked through the streets. Since there was no school today, he did his training early in the morning, and now had nothing to do. It was in moments like these when Izuku realized how stunted his social life was.

This made him briefly think about his current classmates, and how Izuku was hesitant on hanging out with them. At first, he didn't know why, but the answer had been clear by the time he reached fifty-five wisdom.

The reason for why he never held anything against Katsuki was respect, with a bit of admiration. Izuku's respect for him was what kept himself from hating the blonde boy. His other classmates, on the other hand, did not have that advantage. The only thing they had going was that they were only following Katsuki's lead.

But wasn't a good excuse. What was the point of hanging out with people that just mindlessly follow the first person to set an example? If people had just dismissed his dream, he would've been fine. But they had actively belittled him at every opportunity, making him an outcast. Until now, Izuku wondered what would have happened to himself if his quirk never appeared,

So yeah, Izuku held some mild disdain against his classmates. One day, he might forgive them, because he wasn't the type to hold a grudge, but until then he would maintain his distance.

 _Bzzt!_

Izuku grabbed his phone and opened it. Ironically, it was a message from Jiro.

 _Jiro-san: My school's organizing sum event to go along with the Daidogei, and the students r supposed to invite evry1 they know. So yeah, shameless self-promotion._

Currently, she was his only friend. They mostly messaged each other, since she lived on another city, but _very_ occasionally one of them took the train ride to meet the other and hang out.

Back to her message, Izuku had an idea of what the Daidogei was. It was an international festival focused on street performances, that happened every November on Shizuoka Prefecture. It was a really popular thing on Japan, and he'd seen some cool videos of people using their quirks to make their presentations more flashy.

Festivals weren't really his thing, but maybe he could see some interesting things there.

 _I'll go. When should I be there?_

The response came a few minutes later.

 _Jiro-san: It starts at 8 AM, so u should come at least one hour early._

He closed his phone with a smile. It was all right. He survived without socializing for ten years, he could manage one more year with only one friend. Plus, when High School came around, he would be able to make new acquaintances.

His life was changing, and no matter how slow or fast it happened, Izuku was just glad to have his dreams become a possibility again.

* * *

 _3 days later…_

Steps echoed in the streets of Musutafu as Izuku jogged with his signature red shoes. Breaking his pace for a moment, he wiped sweat off his brow and continued his path.

Thanks to Gamer's Body, he could go from his apartment to the beach park without tiring himself out. The secret was to slow down the moment he felt Exhaustion might settle in. As his body worked like a gamer character's, he just needed a few minutes before reverting to a good condition.

 **+1 VIT!**

"… Izuku." A breathless voice called from behind.

He looked back and saw the panting, hunched form of his mother. Unfortunately, not everyone could keep up his 'infinite' stamina trick.

It had been a surprise when she decided to come with him. When he asked why, she shrugged and said she was becoming too sedentary recently. And so here they were on their workout clothes.

"You can go back home if you want, mom. It's no good if you push yourself this much on the first day."

"Okay sweetie." she said, lifting herself up. "I'll go home and prepare dinner. If anything happens, just call me okay?"

He nodded and resumed his jog, while she started walking back with a slower pace.

Izuku continued to walk until reaching the beach. There, he opened the Training Grounds and stood in the middle, concentrating on pushing mana into his hands.

His control was getting better and better, and so he was going to try developing an useful skill for the future.

Opening his eyes and seeing the giant green sphere floating above his hands, he nodded to himself. Using his other palm, he tried to shape it into a cylinder. It was easy to make small things like arrows and flat barriers, but it was harder to make a large tridimensional object.

Ten seconds later, the mana started to dissipate while he was halfway done. He released more energy, only for it to happen again and again.

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.57!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.60!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.64!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.70!**

After countless tries, he was able to make the cylinder. The green geometrical form was three feet tall, resembling a pillar but without any details.

 **You have unlocked a new skill!**

 **[Mana Construct] Lv.1(Active): The ability to change mana into tools, objects and other items. At this level, you can make small and medium sized objects without any fine details, which last for half a minute. MP cost depends on the construct's size.**

While he read the screen, the cylinder disappeared. He gathered more mana in his hands and prepared to make another. The skill was too weak right now, but it was okay. He just had to level it up.

* * *

 **[Mana Construct] is now Lv.20!**

 **[Mana Manipulation] is now Lv.100!**

 **Now you manipulate the ambient mana!**

 **All living things possess Mana, and** _ **"Mana radiates out of the physical body in very small doses."**_ **This causes an effect in which the atmosphere itself is saturated with spiritual energy.**

 **Unfortunately, the shifts on natural landscapes caused by modern civilization make it so that only people with experience with spiritual energy can sense these now weak natural reserves, and consequently use it.**

 **All of your mana costs are now reduced by 20%**

Izuku dismissed the screen and plopped down on the sand. He was working on his control, trying to reduce the time it took to release his attacks, along with the speed of his constructs, and the results for the former hadn't been satisfactory. After a while, he came to the conclusion that dexterity played a part on it, and started to focus on the latter, making sure to adjust his training schedule futurely.

Now out of his previously concentrated state, his senses caught the filthy smell of the beach's trash. He glared at the piles of trash surrounding him while pinching his nose. If this wasn't the most secluded place he could've found, he would've never come here.

His Training Grounds ID was on cooldown, and now he was forced to endure this while his mana regenerated.

Maybe he should get rid of some of it. Even with Gamer's body, standing around in a place like this wouldn't be good for his health.

* * *

Easier said than done. Izuku had to buy a cart to take the trash to a recycling center, while taking some small objects on his inventory. Sadly, he couldn't make a cart out of mana. It was literally outside his skill level.

With time, Izuku was able to incorporate his workout routine onto the cleaning, increasing the efficiency of both processes.

"I can't believe you're planning on cleaning the whole beach." An incredulous voice got him out of his musings.

"It's not the _whole_ beach." He protested. "I just want to take some of the trash out."

"Semantics, Midoriya." Jiro waved him off. "There's people whose job is doing that. Just file a complaint and wait."

The two teenagers were on a ice-cream shop after a walk from the train station. He was telling her about his newest training regimen, and ended up talking about his plan to clean the beach.

Jiro obviously protested against leaving such a task for a single person.

"Not going to work. The people who live close to the beach already did that, but nothing happened. It's all stuck in a big wall of bureaucracy." He explained.

"Why do you even have to go there for training? Can't your quirk create those giant spaces?" She asked incredulous.

"Yeah, but they don't last forever."

Jiro sighed. "Okay, I'll give up. If you want to do it, it's your choice."

"I was going to anyway, but I guess doing it without you complaining is better." He retorted with a grin that would be considered innocent out of context. Right now, it was just unbearably smug.

She groaned even louder. "So. Damn. Stubborn."

"But enough about the beach. Tell me more about that festival you messaged me about. You only said it was a school event." He changed the subject in hopes of brightening the mood. She gave him a light glare, but complied nonetheless.

"You already know what Daidogei is, right?" He nodded. "So, Shizudai is joining all of the schools in the city to make the opening ceremony. That's what the school event part is all about."

"That's cool. What are you participating in?"

"I'm in the band, obviously." She said in a 'duh' tone of voice.

"Well, just because you like music doesn't mean you _have_ to be in the band."

She went silent for a moment, before smiling and nodding. "I guess that's true. Y'know Midoriya, you actually say some pretty sensible stuff once in a blue moon."

"What are you on about? What I said is just common sense." He looked at her confused.

"Yeah, but some people don't have common sense. Everyone just looks surprised when I say I want to be a pro hero. Even my parents were weirded out, but _they_ fully supported me as soon as the shock passed."

"… I can relate to that."

"Hmm, how so? Is there a dramatic past I don't know about?" She teased him.

He chuckled, but there was no mirth to it. "You see, I'm a pretty late bloomer. So when a fourteen year old kid who's apparently quirkless start talking about how he wants to be a great hero, people start to give him weird looks." It was a lot more than weird looks, but she didn't need to know that.

Jiro looked shocked. "Fourteen? Shit man, you probably had it way worse than me. Sorry for being so rude… "

"There's no problem. It affected me way more than I like to admit, but… I never stopped dreaming. It was self-destructive of me, I'll admit it. But I never stopped longing for that dream. I couldn't stop just because people said it was impossible. So I guess that you just have to keep your ideals and act how they tell you to."

He noticed the silence and put a hand on his forehead.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I'm trying to stop rambling so much, but it's-" His second round of rambling was stopped by the sound of laughter.

"Heh… hehehe. Pfft!" Jiro tried to contain it, but it just broke out through her mouth stronger. "Honestly, Midoriya;" she stopped to catch her breath. "Only you can make such a cool speech, and then ruin the moment right after."

His face reddened, but he stayed quiet to prevent himself from saying something stupid.

"I meant what I said, though. What you said was really cool. Who knew Mr. Hero Fanboy could be so deep?" She said, nudging his arm with a genuine smile on her face. It was a good change from her usual smirks.

She looked more beautiful when she smiled like that.

 **You go ladykiller! +3 CHA**

Jiro's eyes widened. Her face heated up as blood rushed to her face.

"W-What are saying!?"

Izuku froze up. Diz he say that out?!

 **Your relationship with Jiro has improved!**

 **Jiro Kyoka's Social Link is now Rank 3!**

 **You gained 900 EXP.**

 **You leveled up!**

"Jeez, I thought you were supposed to be the shy one…" She muttered, her cheeks now only slightly rosy.

"Anyway;" This time she tried to move the subject. "The festival is going to happen on November 1 and finish three days later, so you got plenty of time to decide if you want to go. Don't be your impulsive self." She reprimanded him by poking his face with her jacks.

"Ouch! Okay, okay, I got it! I'm not that impulsive…" He murmured. Jiro, with her enhanced hearing, caught everything and proceeded to clarify.

"Most of time you're pretty level headed, I'll give you that. But then you have these moments when nothing can dissuade you. Sometimes it's endearing, but in some situations it's impossible to deal with." She explained.

Izuku asked some questions about Daidogei. Jiro was clearly downplaying the thing since she grew up seeing it every year, but it even so the event sounded pretty cool. Izuku had already made his decision when she texted him, but this just served to reinforce it.

The hanged out for a while before Jiro had to get back to her place.

"Gotta go. Mom and dad are cool, but sometimes they're overprotective. Can't be too late or else one of them will throw a fit; Probably dad. See ya!" She said, running off to the train station.

Izuku told his mother about his plans for November, and she accepted easily enough. It would happen on a Saturday, so missing school wouldn't be an issue.

In the end, he confirmed that he would come to Jiro. The place would be full of people, and it would be quite easy to get lost, so she gave him some directions on where to go.

* * *

 _Three days later…_

"Midoriya-kun, can you help me with these boxes?"

"Coming!" The green haired boy said, placing a stack of books down.

He was on the same bookshop from before, helping the owner. He had become a regular in various bookshops while searching for new material. Improving his intelligence was becoming harder with every new point, and reading ahead of class was the only way he could increase it.

Eventually, the old man who ran this place, Tanaka, had offered him a part-time job on the shop. Izuku instantly accepted, not just because of the books, but to gather funds for his martial arts classes.

The shop didn't get many customers, so he mostly helped with inventory and read some of the books when he wasn't needed.

The chime of the bell indicated the arrival of a new customer. Izuku dropped his book and walked to the counter, preparing to welcome whoever came.

* * *

Katsuki walked past the bookshelves, eyes darting back and forth searching for the history books section.

There was going to be a test next week, and because the teacher was an insufferable dickhead, it would be worth the entire semester's grade.

Now, Katsuki didn't need to study for the test, or at least that's what he believed. He was a genius by normal standards, who was way ahead of the side characters in terms of academics, along with everything else of course, but this wasn't about how better he was. This was about making sure he didn't fail because of he got caught by surprise, courtesy of some extra subject or trick question.

He didn't choose this bookstore for any specific reason. It was just the one closest to his house. After picking everything he needed, he walked up to the counter.

He regretted walking inside this place once he saw Deku there. Judging by the bastard's face, he also wasn't pleased with their encounter.

"H-Hi Ka-"

"Hurry it up, Deku. I don't want to stare at your face too much." He said, lazily dropping the books on the counter.

Deku did his job, giving Katsuki his money and placing the books in a bag, all without another word. Katsuki could enjoy not having to listen to his grating voice.

After that unpleasant meeting, he was back home in a matter of minutes.

"Katsuki!" Like clockwork, the old hag's voice could be heard from the kitchen. "Did you buy the stuff I asked you?!"

… God fucking damnit.

The Bakugo household furiously shook that afternoon, for Mitsuki's recipe couldn't be saved by the time Katsuki brought the ingredients. Screams, curses and slaps could be heard by the neighborhood, but nobody batted an eye, as they were already used to such chaos.

The younger Bakugo, like a sensible human being, took the blame on himself and calmly promised to not repeat his mistake.

That is to say he blamed it all on Izuku.

* * *

Already in his house, Izuku was surprised when he felt bloodlust from a mile away. His Detect Bloodlust skill leveled up ten times in a row, while he was doing nothing but watching a new hero's debut.

This made him wonder if his quirk could have bugs or glitches. But then he remembered what happened in the bookshop and just continued to view Kamui Woods' first rescue operation.

* * *

 _Some days later..._

" _You're now entering Shizuoka City."_ The train's speakers announced.

Izuku exited along with the other passengers, splitting up from them and walking towards the decorated streets.

He strolled around the city, marvelling at the festival's beauty. The streets were closed off for the presentation, already fully decorated in red and yellow, with traditional japanese statues all around. People wearing kimonos could be seen in front of houses, stores and on crowd, while most of the stages were already set up.

After a few minutes, Izuku came to the realization that he was completely lost. Jiro-san had given him directions, but the whole place was like a living maze. He'd came before to visit Jiro, but now the place was fully crowded and completely different from before, making him lose all of his points of reference.

He turned to closest person to him, a tall, well-built man with blond hair. "Excuse me, sir. Can you give me some directions?"

The man was unfortunately drunk, and couldn't form a coherent response. He shoved past Izuku, muttering something about finding a horse.

Turning around, he spotted the large form of Fat Gum, one of the pro heroes who was being responsible for the security of the festival. He was leaning into a wall and eating some takoyaki while watching the passerby.

Getting information from him on where the main stage was, Izuku hurried up in the right direction.

* * *

"So, here's the plan." The guy Kendo wanted so desperately to punch in the face spoke. But then again, it would be easier to count the people he didn't want to punch than the ones he did.

He was standing on a alleyway, drunk out of his mind, along with two idiots. One of them had a horse quirk and the other had some spikes coming from his skin. The three were planning to rob some restaurant from the outskirts of the city.

Normally, he wouldn't be resorting to such shitty methods just to gain some cash. But last week, his main breadwinner, an underground fighting ring, had been closed by a hero operation. Now he had to go all the way to Kanagawa just so he could restore his way of living. And he needed money to make his trip without being caught.

Truth is, whatever plan these idiots made was bound to fail, and Kendo knew that. This was just a way for him to blow some steam by beating up some random heroes, and still get the money he wanted.

"Me and Goshiki will rob the old man. Right after we do so, Goshiki will call you to confirm everything is going as planned. Rappa, you will be staying in the place between the train station and the restaurants. The pros are all in the main street, and by the time any of them comes, we'll have split the money and gone on our merry ways. Is that good enough?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just make sure not to be caught, you bastards." He gave them the finger and walked out of the alley while ignoring their protests.

* * *

After running for what seemed to be an eternity, Izuku finally arrived at the main stage. there were no seats, so he managed to squish himself into the middle to get a good view. And now, the festival was officially beginning.

" **GOOD MORRRNIN'!"** The deafening voice of Present Mic resonated through the main stage. The man looked right in his element, the contrast between his frame and the wide white floors not making a difference due to his eye-catching gestures and expert showmanship.

"HEY GUYS! ALL OF THE PREPARATIONS HAVE BEEN FINISHED!" The blond haired man walked around the white floors of the stage while giving a thumbs up for the crowd.

"TODAY IS A DAY TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY AND MAKE THE CITY COME ALIVE!"

"OUR FIRST PRESENTATION IS FROM THE COALITION OF ALL THE SCHOOLS FROM SHIZUOKA, WHICH WERE UNITED BY SHIZUDAI! THEY'LL START THIS OFF WITH A MUSICAL SHOW!" Present Mic certainly knew how to work a crowd. With a few words, everyone was screaming and calling for the start. Izuku was saved from being caught up thanks to Gamer's Mind, but even him had a grin of anticipation on his face.

"WITH THAT, EVERYBODY JOIN ME IN SAYING…" He went back to the center and signaled for everyone to follow his lead.

"THE DAIDOGEI…" Most people caught up and started the chant.

"WORLD CUP…" By now, at least 90% of the crowd, including Izuku, was speaking as one, their collective voices booming through the open space.

"BEGINS…" He gave a little pause to point behind him, gesturing to the giant red curtains which hid the first presentation.

" **NOW!"** With one last shout, the festival started. Fireworks were released, people cheered, and the curtains were opened. Present Mic jumped down from the stage and was caught by Air Jet, while the first notes came with full force.

The band was fully formed by students, from middle schoolers to colegiais. Izuku could spot Jiro with the other guitarists, and it looked like she was enjoying herself as much as everybody else.

Deciding to do the same, Izuku leaned back and lost himself into the melody.

* * *

Jiro closed her guitar's case and let out a tired huff. She really underestimated the stamina needed for a live show. Her respect for bands who did various shows per week had skyrocketed after the third song.

Around her, most of the band members had left to enjoy the festival after being congratulated by Shizudai's staff.

After grabbing her case and saying her goodbyes to the people that remained, she left through the stage's backdoor.

There, she found her friends from school, who were sitting on a plastic bench. Jiro deduced they were waiting for her. They perked up when she arrived, and pulled her into a hug with smiles on their faces.

"That was amazing, Jiro-chan!"

"Totally!"

"C'mon guys, don't pester her like that. She's probably tired from the presentation." The group's voice of reason and the only third-year, Nanami-senpai, spoke while pulling the excitable teens back.

Jiro just smiled at their antics. In the end, a little fatigue was worth if she could make people feel good with her music.

* * *

Izuku walked out of the main stage with a large smile in his face. Coming here had been the right decision.

Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to find Jiro. He guessed she was probably drained from the show, or hanging out with her friends. While it would be nice to see her, Izuku knew she had her own life and wouldn't immediately go to him and give a tour of the city. The fact that she was thoughtful enough to 'invite' him was all he needed.

Without a clear place in his mind, Izuku explored the city and enjoyed the festival by himself to the best of his abilities. He tasted new foods, volunteered for some presentations and even won some prizes.

Right now, he was on the outskirts of Shizuoka after making his way around the entire main street. The place had obviously way less people than in the center, and also fewer stages. It was there where one of the train stations was localized. The one from where he came was too filled with people, so he preferred to take the long walk to get into this one.

Crossing another street and turning to the left, he leisurely walked through the smaller crowds. After being surrounded by hundreds of people on the main street, it felt nice to have his personal space back.

Approaching a restaurant close to a backalley, Izuku witnessed a scene that outraged him.

"C'mon, we don't have all day!"

Two men were threatening the owner of a small restaurant. One of them was a tall man with short black hair, who had a mutation quirk that gave him the lower body of a horse.

 **Criminal**

 **[True Name]: Umada Tashiako**

 **[Condition]: No injuries.**

 **[Mood]: Anxious; Impatient.**

 **[Quirk]: Centaur**

 **He has the lower body of a horse. This does not give him the amazing senses of one, but it does give him powerful leg muscles which he can use to run up to speeds of 30 Km/h.**

The other one was a bald unshaved man with spikes all over his body. He was holding one of them to the owner's neck. The wrinkly old man with a lizard tail was trembling, completely scared for his life.

 **Criminal**

 **[True Name]: Goshiki Shiryo**

 **[Condition]: No injuries.**

 **[Mood]: Nervous; irritated**

 **[Quirk]: Spikes**

 **The hair on his torso and arms are spikes which he can remove, although manually, by the base. Their size varies between 1-4 inches and they can easily pierce through stone.**

Izuku stepped forward with a scowl, ready to call them out-

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

But stopped at the last moment. If he threatened them now, there was a high chance of the old man turning into a hostage. Izuku needed to wait for the right moment.

 **[Sneak] Activated.**

His steps were quiet and measured as he stalked towards the criminals, who had their back turned to him. The old man was crying at this point, his hand trembling uncontrollably as he put all of his goods on a sack the horseman thrusted at him.

After he finished, Goshiki shoved him to the ground and _mounted_ Umada, who would start walking if it wasn't for the thin green wall that sprouted in front of him.

They turned around to see Izuku, who was already in front of the old man, glaring at them with an intensity no fourteen year old should have.

"Give him his money back. The police is already coming, so if you just give up now, it'll be easier for you." It was a bluff. If he had taken his time to call the police, the robbers would've escaped while he reported the situation.

 **You have unlocked a new skill!**

 **[Deception] Lv.1(Active): The ability to mislead others. The effectiveness of this skill is altered by your CHA and INT.**

"Shit, the cops are coming! Goshiki, break the damn wall!" Umada shouted in panic as he turned around again and galloped towards the wall at full speed. Goshiki threw three spikes at it, which weakened it enough for Umada to completely blitz through it.

Izuku turned to old man, kneeling down to see if he had any injuries. "Sir, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Izuku had already checked for injuries with Observe, he just asked the question for procedure's sake. The old man, Risei, was unresponsive, so he repeated himself.

That seemed to snap him out of whatever he was stuck in.

"T-They took all of my money. Please, you have to help me!" He desperately begged as he grabbed Izuku by the collar, feebly shaking him.

"Don't worry sir, I'll call the police, I'm sure they will handle it." Izuku tried to calm him down.

"You don't understand! There's a train station is about five streets away from here! They'll escape!"

Izuku reeled back from the new information. If it was that close, then the guy with the horse quirk would be able to reach it in no time!

He looked at the victim. Izuku watched them take all of his money because he was too afraid of the robbery becoming a hostage situation. But now, they would escape with everything.

And it would be his fault.

 **[Electric Aura] Activated.**

"I'm going after them. Please call the authorities." Izuku said, sparks flickering around him. Rising up, He looked to the old man one last time, and jumped off.

* * *

As Izuku used Mana Rush to jump between the rooftops, a distant part of him expressed that he was acting illegally. But weirdly enough, he couldn't bring himself to care. As always, his body just moved before his mind could.

' _Liar. You had plenty of time to think with Gamer's Mind._ '

True. But then again, he would gladly go to jail if it meant he could help this one person. It was naive, extremely idealistic thinking, but it was his way of dealing with things.

 **Quest Created: High Voltage Chase**

 **Two criminals robbed an elderly restaurant owner, Risei-san, of all of his money. They must be stopped, or else he will go into poverty.**

 **Objectives:**

 **Apprehend Umada and Goshiki.**

 **Recover Risei's money.**

 **Reward:**

 **1000 EXP**

Right now, he couldn't be stopped by the authorities. That's why he was wearing an improvised mask made from a spare shirt.

It would tear after a single hit, but this wasn't for protection. It was for anonymity.

 **[Electric Aura] is now Lv.2!**

A rush of power surged through him. The world around him slowed down even further as he jumped further and faster. Just in time for him to reach the thieves. Thanking his luck, Izuku leapt down and landed on a lamppost ten feet in front of them.

Another Mana Barrier rose, this one smaller but thicker than the last one. The two criminals were surprised, but didn't stop. Umada took a sharp turn to the left and dodged the barrier by an inch.

Izuku jumped after him. Slowing this guy now that he picked up speed would be too difficult. He needed go for the offense instead of trying to use barriers.

He jumped to a wall and started to run over it, gaining speed, before jumping again.

 **+1 DEX!**

Like that, he started to gain momentum and was quickly reaching the criminals once again.

At his current state, Izuku could barely keep up with a horse's pace, but that was just enough for him. He only needed his legs to keep up, after all.

Izuku fired a blast in the middle of a jump. His skill moved through the streets rapidly, but ended up hitting a spike Goshiki threw to intercept it.

So he could throw them that accurately, huh. He wanted to conserve his mana, so instead of expelling multiple projectiles, he simply shot another one.

Another blast of electricity flew past the streets. Goshiki did the same thing from before, but this time the mass of electrons twisted out the way at the last second, hitting Umada right in the torso. The horse-man stumbled to the left and hit a wall. On top of him, Goshiki also lost his balance and fell down.

Manipulating the blast's trajectory was a technique that came from his high level of mana manipulation. He could only do it with one attack at a time, but it was an efficient move for when he required precision rather than sheer power.

Umada tried to hurry and get up, but it was too late. Izuku was already right over him, ready to deliver the final blow-

Until unspeakable pain ran through his body. Strikes upon strikes were being delivered at speeds higher than he could ever imagine. It was as if his torso was being hit with six hammers over and over again, never stopping. This pain was nothing compared to being squeezed by that snake, and he could barely register anything else besides the agony that he was being put through.

He tried to put up a guard, but it was over before he knew it. Everything had happened in a matter two seconds, but for him it might as well be two hours. In one moment, he was ready to capture the criminals, while in the other he was flying back, gasping in shock.

His trajectory ended on the edge of a wall, which hit his back and made him fall down on a garbage bin.

 _Blam!_ The opening closed with the impact, making his vision go dark.

 **You're [Dizzy]!**

His head was ringing loudly and turning on itself, his eyes couldn't see anything between the piles of trash, and he was incapable of moving himself through the pain. Izuku tried to remember what he was trying to do, but he couldn't recall anything. Why was he in a trashcan again?

The only thing he could do was listen to what was happening outside.

"Whew, that guy almost got us. Thanks for the save, Rappa." Umada, his mind supplied, said with relief evident in his tone. Who was this guy again?

"Honestly, you guys make me sick." A different voice, presumably 'Rappa', spoke with contempt. "The only reason I won't kill is because you actually got the money instead of being arrested on the spot, so good job not failing instantly. Now just give me my share and fuck off to wherever you want."

The money, huh. That was important, if he remembered it right. It had something to do with money and a… robbery?

Yeah, it was a robbery! Umada and uh… Goshiki had stolen from an old man. But where did Izuku came in all of this?

"Sheesh, just take it." Goshiki said. Some shuffling was heard, and then Rappa spoke again.

 **Your Dizziness has stopped.**

The throbbing in his head decreased as everything became more clear. He had to stop them!

"You're welcome, idiots. Now go kill the damn hero with one of your spikes. I already incapacitated him, but there's a chance of him calling reinforcements. After that, you guys can leave."

Wait, They were going to leave already?

 **[Fighting Spirit] Activated!**

Like hell! Pushing himself through the pain, Izuku shoved the piles of trash away and punched the cover, opening it up.

Before they could do anything, he jumped out, landing on the ground with a crouch.

"I won't…" He stopped and huffed. "… Let you… escape." He finished by glaring at them. With his visibility restored, he could see that the unknown third criminal and the one who almost defeated him instantly, Rappa, was the same drunk guy he saw before the festival.

He was wearing large metal knuckles in his hands, which explained why his strikes had hurt so much. He was wearing the same getup from before, which consisted of a white T-shirt and dark pants.

 **Underground Fighter**

 **[True Name]:** **Rappa Kendo**

 **[Mood]: Interested; Surprised.**

 **[Quirk]: Strong Shoulder**

 **His Quirk allows him to rotate his shoulder sockets at extreme speed and power, giving him commensurately fast and strong punches. However, it cannot be used for longer than a few seconds before needing to stop, leaving an opening.**

The blond man grinned at him and stared him down with his red eyes that sent alarms blaring into his head.

 **[Detect Bloodlust] is now Lv.20!**

"You're still alive?!" He exclaimed, completely surprised. "Holy shit! Now that's a real fighter over here! I hit him with enough force to break all of his bones twice over, and he still gets up!" Rappa unknowingly praised Gamer's Body as he gestured to Izuku's body, which had no blood covering it.

But in Izuku's mind, there was a completely different story. He was quickly reaching his limit. If he kept this up, Exhaustion would settle in very soon, making him unable to fight. He opened his stats to have a quick idea of his situation.

 **Midoriya Izuku, The Gamer**

 **[True Name]: Midoriya Izuku**

 **[Title]: The Gamer**

 **[Level]: 14(11.30%)**

 **[Race]: Human**

 **[Money]: ¥21.600 {Specifics}**

 **STR: 80(+40)**

 **DEX: 79(+40)**

 **VIT: 59**

 **WIS: 65**

 **INT: 83**

 **CHA: 41**

 **LCK: 64**

 **Stat Points: 121**

 **[Condition]**

 **HP: 106.1/315 MP: 64/326**

Less than half of his health. So one more barrage of attacks and he would die, no mistake about it. The bad part of having everything translated into numbers, was that when you were outclassed, the truth was more impacting than ever.

But he wouldn't stop. Even if he had to fight on the verge of death, with pain still assaulting every nerve of his torso, and almost no mana from using Electrical Aura too much, he had to keep going.

' _Plus Ultra, right?_ ' U.A's motto came up on his head as he adjusted his 'mask' and lifted himself up in a painful, slow manner. After he got up, he tried to talk like a confident law enforcer instead of the panicking teenager that he was right now.

"Surrender right now. The police is already on the station, so you won't be able to escape. Just give it up." He bluffed once again. It probably wasn't going to work twice, but he was doing everything he could to stall for time. The criminals were silent for the grand duration of six seconds before Rappa spoke.

"Nah, you're lying." The large man casually broke his bluff. "I know how fast the police force here works. They don't move that quickly."

Once again, his lack of knowledge on Shizuoka screwed him over. First when he arrived, then when he let the two robbers go, and now when bluffing for his life.

"So you can go along." Rappa waved the other two off. "Since I'm feeling generous, I'll make you both a favor and kill this runt." He said with a smile that promised violence. The two grunts ran away again. Now, it was just Izuku and Rappa in the middle right between the back alley.

"You just want to kill me without any interruptions." Izuku revealed his true motive. With the amount of bloodlust he was radiating, he would be dumb to not see where his intentions lied.

Izuku needed to pass through him. The priority was to retrieve Risei-san's money, not fight this guy.

"Ha! Saw right through me, didn't ya? Well, I think that's enough chit chat. Let's get started!" He said while getting a stance, putting his arms at his sides while spreading his legs and lowering his center of gravity.

"I may have lied about the police, but that doesn't matter. The pros will come soon, and they'll apprehend you."

"Oh, I'm counting on it. After I'm done with you, I'll go fight them."

"Well, I already made my decision." Izuku said.

 **[Electric Aura] Activated.**

He leapt to the wall behind him, and then quickly climbed to the rooftop. Rappa's quirk gave him amazing destructive power, but no mobility.

Now, he needed to catch up to-

"If you run off, I'll kill the passerby!"

Izuku halted in his step, the electricity around him spiking up. He looked at the bloodthirsty criminal and saw him pointing at some people who were passing through in the direction of the main street. All with that same insane grin in his face.

 **[Electric Aura] Deactivated.**

Izuku jumped down, the electricity around him already dissipating.

"C'mon man, I thought we were on the same page! Do you want me to kill these people?!" He had the audacity to use a disappointed tone, as if he hadn't threatened to kill people over some fight. It made Izuku's blood boil, but he remained calm.

"What do you want?" He already knew what, but the terms for this bout were unclear.

"A fight to death! Where two men use their power to rip each other apart, you feel me?"

Izuku didn't question him anymore. Making more questions would be a bigger waste of his time, and he needed to catch up to the robbers quickly. He simply used his last perk point to unlock Toughness.

He had a feeling he would need it.

 **[Electric Aura] Activated.**

"Fine. I'll beat the shit out of you, and then I'll capture the others." Almost at the end of his patience, Izuku got into a defensive stance and signed for Rappa to come at him.

"That's the spirit!" Rappa screamed, and then complied with his taunt.

This time, Izuku could see his opponent approaching, and thus was able to dodge the first punches.

Then he got hit in the jaw.

And in the shoulder.

And in the stomach.

And also in the rest of his body. Rappa's quirk was so fast that his arms left afterimages, making it look as if there were multiple fists coming at him. This of course, made it harder to dodge.

 **[Adrenaline Rush] Activated.**

Izuku jumped back, panting and huffing. He was only able to do so because of the opening his observation told him about. But Rappa was already coming back.

The pain he felt was lessened due to the adrenaline pumping in his system, but Izuku knew of his situation. He would die if he kept up this rhythm. He couldn't even get a hit in! Fixing his mask, which already had a large tear that was showing his hair, he thought about what to do.

' _This calls for desperate measures_ '. Izuku, eyes still on the approaching enemy, opened his stats page with mental commands and used all of his stat points.

 **STR: 100 + / -**

 **DEX: 100 + / -**

 **Stat Points: 0**

 **{Save Options}**

The changes were instant. His muscles enlarged, but he maintained a lean physique due to the points on dexterity. The doubling in strength didn't go unnoticed by his opponent.

"Did you just get taller?" He paused his stride and asked, genuinely confused.

The by now familiar sensation of sparks running through his body was more powerful than ever. The skill raised his stats by a percentage rather than a flat number, which is why he used it the most when fighting. This, plus the bonus from Reinforcement?

This time, Izuku was the first to make the first move. His body moved far faster than before, surprising Rappa, and he sent two quick jabs at his opponent's shoulders, which stopped him from using his quirk.

Then he punched him right in the face.

 _Crunch!_

The sound of a nose breaking was heard as Rappa's head snapped back from the blow. Izuku followed up with a right hook that sent him sprawling to the ground.

He rose and released his quirk right after regaining his footing, which stopped Izuku from going for another attack.

"Were you holding back this whole time?!" He asked excited. This was the first time a person not only survived his punches, but actually kept up with his speed! Adrenaline rushed through him as he ignored his broken nose and aching jaw, stepping forward and using his quirk again.

The barrage of fists came down once again, but Izuku was ready this time. He deflected most of Rappa's punches and countered with some of his.

Their battle became a bunch of senseless blurs as each fighter went faster and faster with their attacks, struggling for dominance and forcing the other to do the same. During all of this, all that could be heard was the air pressure coming from their windups and the sound of Rappa's laugh.

Izuku saw another strike coming at him, but it was too late to dodge. Improvising, he threw a punch of his own, and his fist met with Rappa's metal knuckles with a boom!

"Guh!" He gasped as the bones on his hand shook. Rappa took advantage of this and sent another barrage of strikes. Luckily, his quirk reached its time up before he could do enough damage.

Izuku recovered quickly thanks to Toughness, and so the fight continued.

Rappa noticed this weakness, and began to aim for his hands. Gusts of winds were generated as their fists collided multiple times. Izuku clenched his teeth through the pain as he channeled more mana to his arm.

' _ **Power Strike!**_ ' His punch broke through his opponent's metal knuckles with a clang. Rappa's arm visibly shook, which made him pause for one second. Izuku punished him with an uppercut that made him fall back two feet away.

 **Critical Hit!**

Rappa spit out blood and continued to laugh. His bloodthirsty expression just seemed to get more and more unsettling.

After rolling his shoulders, he got up and started to walk like nothing happened. Izuku started to walk too, and the two met in the middle with quirks ready.

However, while this round might have looked like any other due to the speed at which they were throwing their punches, for the combatants it was a completely different story.

Each time they went at it, Izuku was parrying the offending attacks more and more often.

' _He's fast._ ' He thought, tilting his head away from another hit. ' _And powerful._ ' Their fists collided once again, but this time, The green haired young man didn't react and continued to fight. ' _But he has no technique. Now that I see it for the fifth time, there's a pattern to his moves._ '

By now, Izuku had also already memorized the exact moment in which Rappa would stop attacking. One second before that moment, Izuku would use his trump card to win this fight.

' _Three…_ ' He deflected more blows which seemed to multiply as time passed.

' _Two…_ ' He didn't even flinch when a strike grazed his cheek, with another one barely missing his neck;

' _One…_ ' His hands were already numb as he blocked four consecutive punches with his bare knuckles.

' _ **Power Strike!**_ ' Izuku called out in his mind as he began to up the intensity of his own attacks.

His parries now had more energy behind them, which made Rappa's arms twist further than before. He wasn't being able use his quirk fully, thanks to the few milliseconds it took him to put his arms back into position.

A cross came for his face. Izuku elbowed it down, pushing away three more attacks with his opposite limb. Two fists came in a straight line for his shoulders; The first move he used when after plan B. They were slapped to the sides. Rappa's quirk reached its limit.

Izuku stepped forward, right arm cocked back, his now bloody hand gathering mana. His hips and shoulders twisted in unison as he whipped his arm and delivered a haymaker straight into Rappa's torso. A cracking noise was heard as the tall man gasped and spouted blood.

 **Critical Hit!**

Now stunned, The previously laughing man could only watch as Izuku took another step and cocked his other arm back.

 **Critical Hit!**

The last things Rappa saw before receiving the meanest left hook of his life were those fierce green eyes.

He passed out with a smile in his face.

 **The effects of [Adrenaline Rush] have passed.**

 **[Electric Aura] Deactivated.**

 **You suffer from [Exhaustion].**

Izuku went down to his knees, panting harshly and trying to get up, only to fail and fall face first into the ground. Now that the adrenaline rush had passed, he was feeling all of the punishment his body took during the fight coming back.

 **You gained 3000 EXP.**

 **You leveled up!**

 **You have unlocked a new ID: [Necropolis]**

Some minutes later, Izuku finally picked himself up. He had amazing pain tolerance for a teen, courtesy of Katsuki, but being Rappa's attacks hurt way more than anything the explosion user had ever done. He slowly walked to his opponent and grabbed his share of the stolen money.

He took a glance at his face. The blood from his broken nose was dried up, his jaw looked like it was dislocated, but the man was still smiling. How could someone like fighting so much that they got punched in the face with a smile? It was honestly unnerving.

He looked at his hands. Warm blood was still dripping from them, But none of it was from his opponent. Another fight, another near-death experience. Were things going to be like this everytime?

A sudden wave of disappointment hit him with full force. With the time he spent fighting, the other two had probably escaped by now. Plus, even if they hadn't, he was exhausted and out of mana. There was no way for him to catch up now.

All of that fighting and law-breaking, and he didn't even manage to accomplish what he wanted.

 **[Gamer's Mind] Activated.**

However, not everything was lost. At least he could give the old man part of what he was robbed off.

After calling the police to pick up Rappa, Izuku put the money in his inventory and slowly walked out of the back alley, leaving as the victor but not feeling one bit like one.

* * *

Kendo woke up with a killer headache, a broken nose and a ton of bruises. All around him, he could see cops talking and gesturing to him.

After remembering everything that happened, he groggily stood up, wincing as he felt his bruises acting. He looked at the shocked officers that were approaching him with quirk restraining cuffs.

Poor idiots. They should've done that before he woke up.

After beating them up, he left the alley and made his way back to his apartment. His money was taken, he lost his fight, and his plans of going to Kanegawa would have to be postponed.

And all because of that green haired guy. Kendo grinned at that. His first loss in a fight, and he was lucky enough to live after!

At first, Kendo didn't think much of the runt. BY his getup, the prize fighter assumed he was one of them vigilante types, which was something hard to see these days. With heroes being the norm, it was incredibly rare to find someone who tried to solve crimes without being paid for it.

But now, he was excited! He not only had kept up with his punches, but actually defeated him with a surprise attack!

Kendo wanted a rematch right now. He wanted to feel that same rush from before, to feel his fists striking his opponent as they traded punches, their quirks and bodies being pushed to their limits. But the vigilante had probably left as soon as the cops came. So for now, he would be satisfied with simply healing his wounds and preparing for the next fight.

* * *

As he approached the restaurant again, Izuku was able to see some people around the old man. They were police officers, who were presumably getting told about the situation.

Rappa was right; The police force in Shizuoka was pretty slow.

Izuku needed to wait until they left. If they saw him giving the money back, they would ask questions he had no way of answering. While he could try to use Deception, he felt more comfortable with not betting his potential stay in jail on a skill he'd just obtained.

After a few seconds, one of the policemen got a call. He seemed to brighten up, turned to Risei man and told him the news. When he finished, the old man visibly relaxed and started to thank the policemen. They left three minutes later.

Izuku, with his mask already off and the sack on his hands, approached the restaurant owner and called for his attention.

"Hey, there. I… brought the money from one of the robbers. They escaped, though. Sorr-"

"Hahahah! It's okay sonny." The old man assured him with a boisterous laugh. "One of the pros, Ingeneom, or something like that, captured these ruffians before they could escape. They did say a part of the money was missing, though. Did you get it?" He asked.

"Yeah." Izuku replied while giving him the sack, but his mind was elsewhere. Someone caught them? He knew Ingenium was fast, but to go from the main street to the city's outskirts in a few minutes? Izuku really underestimated the efficiency of a pro hero.

"I can't believe you actually went after them!" He said, laughing and taking his money back.

 **Quest Completed: High Voltage Chase**

 **You gained 1000 EXP.**

"When you told me you were going to chase them, I thought I must've heard you wrong. Thank you for that, err-"

"It's Midoriya, sir. Midoriya Izuku."

"Thank you, Midoriya-kun. But you shouldn't risk yourself like that, young man! It's good that you succeeded, but what if they harmed you?" Risei scolded him while wagging his finger. Izuku just chuckled sheepishly.

The elderly man invited him for a free meal as thanks for recovering his money, and Izuku accepted, in order to recover his health.

After finishing eating, Izuku said his goodbyes, left the restaurant and exited Shizuoka after finally reaching the train station.

While travelling back, he made sure to send a message to Jiro saying that he had a good time, while giving his thanks.

Instead of getting the sleep that he definitely needed, Izuku thought about his most current quest. While everything had ended well, it wasn't a reason to dismiss it as a success.

In the end, his actions had been worthless. It was a hard pill to swallow, but if the other two were apprehended, then they would be interrogated. This would lead to the authorities finding Rappa, and recovering the rest of the money. He didn't make a difference.

Even with a quirk, he still managed to be a worthless Deku.

Had he even done the right thing when chasing the criminals? Should've he left everything to the authorities in the first place?

' _No._ _A pro might have solved it this time, but they can't always be there. So leaving everything to them is wrong._ '

But taking the task to himself was more. A person without any formal training shouldn't go risking his life needlessly, when people whose job is that are ready and willing to do it.

' _When you think about it, heroes are those who save people. Despite their different motivations and personalities, all of them volunteer to go and risk their lives for the sake of others. That's what makes them so great. So I shouldn't berate myself for doing the same but without a license, should I?_ '

Yes. That was dangerous thinking. Saying he was above needing a license just because he wanted to save people just as much as the pros was stupid.

The path to hell was paved with good intentions.

Finishing his thoughts, he leaned back in his seat and sighed. Thinking about this kind of stuff was odd. At first, he always thought about things in a simplistic way. Having increased intelligence was sometimes tiring.

Izuku finished the day by going back home and dropping straight into his bed. He proceeded to sleep through the rest of the day, only waking up at night to talk to his mother about the festival and have dinner.

* * *

 _Five months later…_

Izuku walked past the crowds with his notebook at hand, looking at the fight happening right over the overpass.

The recently debuted hero and rising star, Kamui Woods, was fighting against a villain with a gigantification quirk, who stole someone's bag and was delaying the rush hour.

Kamui jumped back, evading the villain's wild swings. He cocked his arm back and concentrated his quirk on his arm, preparing his super move.

"Lacquered Chains Priso-"

" **Canyon Cannon!** "

The skirmish was abruptly ended as a new hero entered the scene with a flying kick to the villain's chin, shocking the bystanders, for a giant like her wouldn't be able to pass through unnoticed.

The villain, who know looked like a dwarf compared to this new arrival, was knocked out by the attack.

"Today's my debut! Pleased to meet you all! You can call me Mt. Lady!"

Her words seemed to spur people back to reality. The mass media was already under her like hounds, furiously taking pictures. She thrived in the spotlight, waving to everyone as she shrunk back to a normal size. The villain was taken away by the police, and in a matter of seconds, the order on Tatooin Station was restored.

Izuku took notes of the new hero. With her flashy quirk and seemingly good-natured disposition, she would be able to climb the ranks very quick. Her quirk was a size alteration type, but how well she could control it was a mystery.

Finishing with a rough sketch of her costume, Izuku closed his notebook and started taking hurried steps. It would be bad to arrive late on his first school day.

* * *

 **I Finally reached the first episode people. Now we can get to the good parts!**

 **If some of you who only watch the anime are wondering, the only one of the criminals who wasn't an OC is Rappa. He'll probably appear on season 4, so be ready for that.**

 **The Daidogei World Cup is real world event. Pretty cool.**

 **Also, I'M NOT SHIPPING DEKU WITH JIRO! When shown to be complimented by someone in the manga, Jiro gets flustered. I thought this was in-character for her, so yeah. NO SHIPPING TO BE SEEN HERE.**

 **This is honestly just a transition chapter. Instead of skipping straight to the prologue of canon, I wanted to do something else. At first, it was only the dojo scene and the training scenes, but then I had this idea of an end-of-year festival and just went nuts with it.**


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